Page 12 - Commercial Vehicle Engineer - June 2021

NEWS
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BRIDGESTONE LAUNCHES QUIETEST BUS TYRE
Bridgestone has revealed its quietest bus and coach tyre, following 18 months of internal testing with its
biggest fleet customer.
The U-AP 002 comes with decreased
rolling resistance and extended mileage to reduce fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and total cost of ownership and has been developed to fulfil the requirements of an electric and hybrid bus fleet.
It arrives on the back of a lengthy development project with Stagecoach in Manchester city centre.
At just 69dB, the U-AP002 is Bridgestone’s quietest bus product to
date, reducing noise pollution by 2dB compared to its predecessor, the U-AP 001. It has also been created with a higher load capacity versus previous generation, which is crucial when factoring in battery weight; suitable with eight tons in steer axle.
The Bridgestone U-AP 002 boasts a B-grade in rolling resistance, to reduce fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. It also offers 9% longer tyre life, while
the tyre’s thick sidewall protection and strong casing enable high robustness and multiple tyre lives thanks to retreading. The tyre is also winter ready, with 3PMSF and M+S markings.
Bridgestone’s commercial sales director Greg Ward said: “There is often a compromise in performance when meeting the environmental needs of a fleet, but this isn’t the case with the U-AP 002.
12 JUNE 2021 > COMMERCIAL VEHICLE ENGINEER