Bridgestone 2002 Annual Report Download - page 16

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14
These Bridgestone engineers are evaluating an
extrawide GREATEC tire for replacing double
tires on trucks and buses. The engineers are
at Bridgestone’s Tokyo Technical Center, the
hub of the Bridgestone Group’s global R&D
network. That network also includes large tech-
nical centers owned by Bridgestone Americas
in Akron and by Bridgestone Europe in Rome;
nine proving grounds and test courses in Asia,
the Americas and Europe; and a technical
center for diversified products in Yokohama.
The Tokyo Technical Center is responsible for
basic research and long-range tire development,
along with short-range tire development for
the Japanese and other Asian markets. The
Akron and Rome centers handle tire develop-
ment for the Americas and Europe.
Bridgestone Group companies, in pursuit of
safer and more-comfortable motoring, continue
to raise the standards for performance in tires
and in vibration-absorbing components for
automobiles. In Japan, Bridgestone is develop-
ing suspension modules with Akebono Brake
Industry Co., Ltd., and the shock absorber man-
ufacturer Kayaba Industry Co., Ltd., to convey
tire performance more optimally to the road.
A Bridgestone Americas subsidiary, meanwhile,
is an industry leader in air springs for trucks,
and it is developing business for its air spring
technology in passenger cars.
Pioneering important new
In the Self Supporting Runflat Tire (SSR) sys-
tem, Bridgestone employs a reinforced sidewall
to maintain the tire shape in the event of a loss
of air pressure. The SSR system is well suited
to vehicles equipped with tires of lower aspect
ratios, especially high-performance cars. The
Support Ring system features a lightweight
metal ring to bear the wheel load and secure
the tire on the wheel if the tire pressure drops
suddenly. The Support Ring system is well suited
to passenger cars and sport-utility vehicles with
tires of higher aspect ratios. Both systems are
usable with conventional wheels and can be
installed with conventional mounting equipment.
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