Bridgestone Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia Tire Line Expanded Expansion to provide fuel saving opportunities for crossover and SUV owners without sacrificing treadwear or wet performance

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Nov. 8, 2011) - Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC (BATO) announces a 13-size expansion of its Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia tire line, bringing more crossover and SUV owners a fuel saving tire option. The line launched in early2010 with seven sizes.

The Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia was engineered for the cost- and environment-conscious CUV, SUV and light truck owners. In recent testing, the Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia showed a 42 percent improvement in rolling efficiency over a conventional Bridgestone tire*, which contributes to both improved fuel economy and reduced carbon emissions.

“At Bridgestone Americas, we believe that regardless of the type of vehicle you choose to drive, you should be able to save a little at the pump and make a difference in helping create a cleaner environment for future generations to enjoy,” said Larry Magee, President, Consumer Tire U.S. & Canada, BATO. “The Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia exemplifies our latest efforts to help reduce the environmental impact of our light truck products, and is yet another step in our ongoing mission to improve the overall environmental performance of our products.”

The line features several fuel-saving technologies and performance enhancing designs, including:

• Fuel Saver Sidewall Compound that helps lower rolling resistance by both returning more energy back to the tire and reducing heat generation compared to normal sidewalls
• A silica-based fuel saving tread compound that helps to deliver improved rolling resistance, which contributes to reduced fuel consumption and CO2 emissions while delivering strong wet traction.
• The use of low aromatic oils in tire compounds, resulting in a reduced carbon footprint
• Circumferential grooves to help channel water out of the footprint area to improve resistance to hydroplaning

The announcement of the Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia expansion comes on the heels of the announcement of a 24-size extension of the Ecopia EP422, the Dueler’s sister all-season passenger product. Since launching in 2010, Bridgestone has expanded its Ecopia family of brands by 37 sizes. With the line expansion, there will be 61 sizes of Ecopia products available ranging from 15- to 20-inch in both OE and replacement markets. (Note: The 9-size Ecopia EP100 was discontinued in 2011.)

The Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia is another key product that helps Bridgestone reach its global goal to improve tire rolling resistance by 25 percent in all of its products, resulting in less fuel use and CO2 emissions while driving by the year 2020 (based on a 2005 benchmark). The company also strives to reduce CO2 from its entire product lifecycle by 35 percent per sales by the same year.

The Ecopia line of tires is the crown jewel of the company’s new Eco-Products distinction, which identifies Bridgestone’s products with the highest levels of environmentally conscious construction and performance.

“It’s our goal in developing Bridgestone Eco-Products to not only infuse our tires with attributes that are better for the environment, but also improve our customer’s overall driving experience,” said Rod Hutchinson, Product Manager for Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations. “The Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia has been designed with the crossover vehicle in mind and has been fine tuned for improvements in ride comfort and noise, as well as improved fuel economy.”

To help consumers understand the cost savings benefits of Ecopia products, BATO has created a fuel calculator that shows how much money they can save in fuel over the life of their tires. The calculator can be accessed online at BridgestoneTire.com.

Fuel calculator link: http://www.BridgestoneTire.com/FuelCalculator/

The Ecopia line is produced at BATO facilities in Aiken County, S.C., and Wilson, N.C. (Note: Some sizes also produced in Cuenevaca, Mexico). BATO’s Aiken County plant was the first tire manufacturing facility in the world to earn LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in February 2010, and both the Aiken County and Wilson facilities are home to Certified Wildlife Habitats, a conservation program aligned with the efforts of Bridgestone Corporation’s “One Team, One Planet” global environmental initiative.

*Editor’s Note: Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia rolling efficiency improvement is compared to the Dueler H/L Alenza.