New tires from Bridgestone

[George_Neighbros69]

I've noticed Bridgestone has quietly introduced two new tires that look interesting.

1. Bridgestone UltraWeather
This appears to be the successor to the WeatherPeak. It carries the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) rating, uses Bridgestone's ENLITEN technology, and has a 60,000-mile treadwear warranty. I'm curious whether Bridgestone addressed the shorter tread life that some WeatherPeak owners reported.

2. Bridgestone Dueler Maverick A/T
This is a new all-terrain tire sold exclusively through Discount Tire. It also carries the 3PMSF rating and comes with a 60,000-mile treadwear warranty.
It will be interesting to see real-world experiences with tread life, wet traction, road noise, and winter performance. On paper, both look like they could be strong additions.

 

[I<3oil]

Interesting. Dueler looks like if a BFG KO2, Wildpeak, General Grabber, and a Toyo Open Country III had a baby.

 

[k1xv]

I have always viewed mileage warranties as a sales gimmick mechanism for making you come back to buy replacements when your tires wear out before full warrantied mileage. And also buy tire rotations.

And, how thin does the tread have to get before you are entitled to a warranty claim? 2/32"? Many drivers replace tires long before the tread gets that thin.

 

[_Will_]

I was looking at the Maverick yesterday as a more aggressive alternative to the ascent, I've got KO3 on my Titan now and they're mostly okay but their wet weather performance seems to be falling off some. The ascent is getting great reviews so a more aggressive tread with the same/similar compound could be a winner next go around. Just wish they had the white lettering available on them, I do like the look.

 

[BHopkins]

I have always viewed mileage warranties as a sales gimmick mechanism for making you come back to buy replacements when your tires wear out before full warrantied mileage. And also buy tire rotations.

And, how thin does the tread have to get before you are entitled to a warranty claim? 2/32"? Many drivers replace tires long before the tread gets that thin.

I used to be wary of tread wear warranties also, until I had an experience that made me a convert to taking advantage of treadwear warranties. Many years ago, I had a set of Pirelli tires wear out very quickly. (I've since learned that is to be expected from most Pirelli tires.) When I told the tire store clerk that I wouldn't be taking advantage of the warranty, because didn't want another set of Pirelli, he told me that I could get any tire and any brand I wanted on the warranty.

I asked what was involved in making the warranty claim. The clerk assured me that they would take care of all of that. All I had to do was make the claim before the tires wear past 3/32, show that the tires had been rotated regularly, or at least that they had worn evenly.

The clerk calculated how much warranty credit I got towards the new tires, and I felt it was very fair. Since then, I never concern myself with how well a tire is rated for tread life, or what reviews say about treadwear. As long as a tire has a treadwear warranty, I know that if a set of tires wear prematurely, that I'll get credit towards the next set.

Drivers of cars with offset wheels need to be aware that treadwear warranties are reduced by 50%, since tires cannot be rotated front to rear. Also, If you are one of those that doesn't believe in tire rotation, or doesn't keep your car aligned properly, then don't bother with considering treadwear warranty. You will be out of luck.

 

[CapriRacer]

Perhaps I need to step in here and explain about treadwear.

Most tire wear occurs when a vehicle corners. Driving straight ahead is practically free! That's because to move the mass of the car, there has to be a slip angle - the difference between the direction the tires are pointed and the direction the vehicle is actually going.

Clearly there is a huge disconnect between the tire wear warranty and what the user is going to actually get. Makes you wonder why tire manufacturers even offer a warranty - UNTIL you realize that the wear warranty is a way to distinguish between tires that wear well and those that don't. Besides tire salesmen love them as it gives them something to talk about.

 

[opus1]

I have always viewed mileage warranties as a sales gimmick mechanism for making you come back to buy replacements when your tires wear out before full warrantied mileage. And also buy tire rotations.

And, how thin does the tread have to get before you are entitled to a warranty claim? 2/32"? Many drivers replace tires long before the tread gets that thin.

I don't remember how low the tread got on the prior set of tires on my Sonata but when I took it in for a tire rotation I'd mentioned to the guy at Discount Tire that it seemed like they were wearing faster than they should. He checked the computer to find out when they sold them to me and once he found that info, he agreed and I received a credit towards the current set of tires on the car from the treadwear warranty. Simple process.

As it turns out, I'm pretty close to getting the full 80,000 miles out of those replacement tires so looks like I'll be paying full price when replacement time comes.

 

[k1xv]

We have a lot of unpaved roads in Vermont, which cause accelerated tire wear, especially when traction is less than perfect.

 

[meep]

I saw that maverick A/T as well. Seems like it would be in direct competition with their Dueler Ascent A/T. The ascent tops the charts in tire racks “on road AT” category but is known to be pretty tepid off road. Maverick looks closer to the Yokohama G018 which could be a stronggg competitor.

I have had good luck with Bridgestone tires, and yokos have impressed me with manufacturing uniformity. Note the weight on the Bridgestone. It’s interesting that we are seeing more off-road oriented tread while the weights are kept light. I’d like to think the carcasses have new stronger tech, but perhaps it’s just an on-road carcass with fancy tread? @CapriRacer

Pirelli has a new AT that also has a not-too-dissimilar tread. “XTM” maybe?