Bridgestone brings Ecopia truck tyres to Europe

ERJ staff report (DS)

Frankfurt, Germany -- Applying new eco-friendly compound technologies to truck tyres for the first time in Europe, Bridgestone has introduced a range of Ecopia truck tyres. Ecopia truck tyres run with lower rolling resistance than Bridgestone's standard patterns, thereby reducing fuel consumption and carbon emissions. The added value for operators, said the manufacturer, is that this has been achieved without sacrificing Bridgestone's high performance levels of durability, irregular wear and wet safety.

The line-up, which was unveiled at the 2010 IAA Commercial Vehicles in Hanover, consists of steer tyres R249 Ecopia and R249 EVO Ecopia, with higher load capacity, drive tyres M749 Ecopia and Greatec M709 Ecopia, and the trailer tyre R109 Ecopia.

The core technology applied is Bridgestone's new cap and sidewall compound which lowers the rolling resistance coefficient. The R249 Ecopia steer tyre also features Bridgestone's proprietary Nano-Pro Tech compound, which lowers the rolling resistance coefficient by reducing energy loss in the top compound during rotation.

Bridgestone tests have shown that Ecopia tyres on a standard tractor trailer combination deliver an average of 12 percent improved rolling resistance compared to the previous pattern line-up at full tread depth.

Ecopia truck tyres and retreads are available across Europe from September 2010. Their introduction is supported by a marketing programme explaining how the Ecopia product and service package can help fleet operators “get a better grip on ecology and costs”. A dedicated Ecopia website enables operators to access a special module entitled “Your ecological tyre print” which calculates the environmental impact of their fleet and invites them to obtain details on how to improve it.

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Press release from Bridgestone

www.Ecopia.eu from Bridgestone