Ok, I'm the kind of guy that appreciates tires and their
ability to stop the car. I guess the old phrase by Michelin was
probably the best - "...the brakes stop the wheels, but the
tires stop the car…" or something like that. There are more
qualified car aficionados than me that can differentiate between
the myriad of tire choices in front of us, but I want to
illustrate something about tires that I felt recently. I was
driving the Grubbs Infiniti of Dallas provided 2005 G35 Coupe
from Monterey, CA back to Los Angeles - in the rain.
I'm not talking about a drizzle,
but I'm talking about the worst rain in a hundred years in
California. We don't think about rain in Southern California, so
we usually don't think about tires under those conditions. It
was pouring buckets and the wipers were going as fast as they
could go. I'm a pretty cautious driver and under these
conditions, as stressful as they can be, and normally I'd be
driving a little under the speed limit. I need to feel the tires
under the car and know that traction will hold me in place - on
the road and in the lane. I also was aware of hydroplaning - you
know, not being in control! But, when I looked down at the
speedometer, it was registering 80 MPH. I knew then it wasn't
just the car that made me feel safe, but the tires - Bridgestone
Potenza RE050A's to be exact.
I carefully turned
the wheel left and right to see how the tires would grip and
they went where I pointed. I then took an exit ramp and jammed
on the brakes to see just how they would grip under heavy
braking on rain slick roads. I stopped with virtually no
skidding. Then from a dead stop and with VDC (Virtual Dynamic
Control) on, I stomped on the gas and waited for the tires to
brake loose. Nothing noticeable. I quickly turned a corner and
did the same thing.
If I tried, I knew I could brake it loose, but normally
and in emergency situations, these tires did everything one could ask;
I had 'shoes' that would keep me safe and give me confidence in
extreme weather conditions. I'm not saying there aren't other
manufacturers' tires that do as good or better job, but I'm not
shopping to find out; I don't have the bucks to keep on trying
something else. I called Joseph Mustipher, Bridgestone High
performance Tire Guru and told him my story and now, I'm asking him to
say a few words about why I felt the way I did. Joseph?
Steve,
It is amazing what comes through a tire via technology in normal every
day driving. The RE050 was developed based on our racing heritage in
general and Formula One racing in particular. The tire features our
exclusive UNI-T technology. The RE050 with UNI-T delivers excellent
grip on dry roads and sure footed traction on the wet ones.
We at Bridgestone Firestone know that the typical driver of
performance cars expect a tire to deliver a quiet and comfortable ride
as well as being responsive.
This probably explains why the RE050 has been selected as the original
equipment tire on BMW 5-6 and Z4, Ferrari Enzo, Mercedes Benz C - E -
S - SLK, Porsche and the Infiniti M45.
So, for those of you driving your performance car the way it was
intended to be driven, the RE050 will help you "enjoy the drive."
-Steve Burhans with Joseph Mustipher, Jr.
Nashville-based Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC, is a
subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc., whose parent
company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world's largest tire and
rubber company. BFNT develops, manufactures, and markets Bridgestone,
Firestone, Dayton and associate and private brand tires. The company
is focused on wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying
passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off-road, agricultural and
other tires to its customers in North America.
