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Bridgestone Tires with UNI-T: Keeping it Together
When driving, rarely do we think about what part of
the vehicle is actually keeping us on the road. For one, it’s
not the thoroughly washed and waxed body, or even your immaculately
clean chrome rims that turn heads while rolling down the boulevard.
Here is a hint: we only consider them in times of duress when a simple
nail or screw changes your day’s entire schedule. Or when we
take our car in for a front-end alignment and the technician points
out how badly worn they are and the consequential dangers of continuing
to drive on them.
It is at this point that we need to picture ourselves taking a highway
on-ramp at 50-mph with insufficient tread and tire integrity; while
realizing that life rests solely on the four contact patches that
our tires create between the vehicle and the road.
For their part, Bridgestone has introduced its “Ultimate Network
of Intelligent Tire Technology” (UNI-T). UNI-T was developed
and introduced as a combination of technologies to improve the tires’
casing, bead and tread. These three primary factors correlate directly
to performance, wet and dry handling and of course safety.
  
To go along with fresh products such as the ultra-high
performance Potenza RE050, high performance Potenza G 009, and passenger
oriented Insignia SE200, Bridgestone has hit the streets with an all-new
brand of tire called Fuzion. Their latest Fuzion ZR1 line targets
young driving enthusiasts and the burgeoning “tuner market.”
Fuzion tires, available in W, V and H-speed ratings, are now available
for purchase. The program is backed with a marketing campaign that
includes a website (www.thefuzionzone.com) and an interactive online
racing game to help reel in the fastest growing segment in the performance
tire market. The tires are priced affordably and available in over
thirty sizes.
Fuzion has also equipped two project vehicles, a Honda Civic Si and
Subaru STi to assist in its branding of the products. These two lime
green, Hulk-like creations can be seen across the country at various
product launches and automotive lifestyle shows including Hyperfest
in Baltimore and NOPI in Atlanta.
Bridgestone Corporation, the largest tire and rubber
company in the world, along with its subsidiary Firestone, promises
that the evolution of its tires and UNI-T are an ongoing quest for
excellence and that Bridgestone/Firestone will be at the forefront
of technology in the industry. This remains to be seen, but after
road testing their new products along with a few of their competitors,
I was impressed to see Bridgestone/Firestone back on the right track.
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