Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations Announces Three New Ultra High Performance Tires - European Car Magazine

Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) is proud to announce the launch of three new ultra high performance tires to its Potenza family of tires.

• The Potenza S-04 Pole Position - a summer, Ultra High Performance product that replaces the Potenza RE050A Pole Position
• The Potenza RE970AS Pole Position - Bridgestone's All Season, Ultra High Performance product replacing the Potenza RE960AS Pole Position
• The Potenza RE960AS Pole Position RFT -an all season performance line of run-flat tires from Bridgestone designed for many of today's popular RFT equipped vehicles

The Potenza S-04 Pole Position is Bridgestone's newest flagship entry into the summer performance tire lineup. The Potenza S-04 Pole Position has been engineered with features to provide improved wet and dry handling. Wide circumferential grooves provide rapid water evacuation. High silica content improves traction in wet conditions by increasing flexibility of tread compound, while the footprint has been optimized for even contact pressure across the whole tread surface (when compared with its predecessor the RE050A). Large, stiff, high grip shoulder blocks on the Potenza S-04 help maximize road contact and handling through corners and a continuous interlocking center rib provides quick response to steering inputs. To help minimize noise, Bridgestone incorporated an advanced pattern design with Resonance Noise Attenuated (RENOA) Silencer Groove. The S-04 PP comes in 45 Y speed rated sizes, all available as of the first quarter of 2011.

Another new Ultra High Performance flagship product from Bridgestone, the Potenza RE970AS Pole Position, is designed to offer all season capability and enhanced wear while still delivering confident wet and dry handling. Like the S-04 PP, the RE970AS PP includes a silica rich compound to aid in wet and dry traction and large shoulder blocks for solid cornering performance. The RE970 PP tread pattern features advanced 3D sipes for improved braking performance and also incorporates 3D stealth tread elements, which increase block stiffness for improved handling while also aiding all season grip. A continuous center rib enhances responsiveness. The RE970's footprint is optimized for even load distribution to enhance wear performance. The RE970AS will launch in the second and third quarters and come in 34 W rated sizes.

Rounding out the group of new products, the Potenza RE960AS Pole Position RFT incorporates Bridgestone's third-generation run-flat technology (3G RFT), which contributes to improved ride comfort over previous run-flat tires. By adding 3G RFT technology to the RE960AS PP, Bridgestone can now offer a proven All Season Performance tire to owners of many of today's most popular Run-Flat equipped vehicles. Third-generation RFT technology combines Cooling Fins and NanoPro-Tech Sidewall reinforced rubber compound to control heat build up, especially when a tire is underinflated. The technology also allows for a reduction in overall tire mass and sidewall stiffness, resulting in improved ride comfort, lower rolling resistance, and improved wear versus the previous generation run-flat tire. For the first-time ever, Bridgestone will also offer a 40,000 limited tread wear warranty for a run-flat tire with the RE960AS Pole Position RFT. The first 9 sizes, fitting many of today's popular RFT equipped vehicles, will be launched throughout the year.

All three of the above product offerings come with a 30-day buy and try guarantee as well as Bridgestone's Platinum Pact three-year replacement limited warranty.

For the Bridgestone brand, the Potenza name means performance. Potenza was born in the early 1980s to establish Bridgestone brand as a performance leader in markets outside Japan. Through the years Potenza flagship products have been technologically enhanced from Bridgestone's involvement with racing activities throughout the world.