April 3, 2014
"Continue your journey." That’s the goal of all drivers with busy schedules, business appointments, flights to catch or simply places to be. And it’s Bridgestone’s reason for developing their new DriveGuard tires.
There’s never a good time for a flat tire, but flat tires are one of the most common reasons our driving journeys are unexpectedly interrupted. It seems nails, screws and accident debris all conspire to leave us stranded at the least opportune time. And who wants to be sitting on the side of the road waiting for roadside assistance or installing our vehicle’s spare (if it has a spare), especially if it’s hot, cold, dark, raining or snowing outside?
Beginning in the mid-1990s, some vehicle manufacturers addressed this concern by equipping their sports cars, coupes or sedans with Original Equipment (O.E.) run-flat tires. These tires were capable of temporarily carrying the weight of the vehicle, its occupants and luggage even after a puncture resulted in complete tire pressure loss. However in order to provide the needed sidewall strength, many early run-flat tires featured heavy, unyielding constructions that helped earn them a reputation as stiff-riding, fast-wearing, high-priced and hard-to-find.
Since 2011, Bridgestone has offered an Ultra High Performance All-Season run-flat tire specifically for the replacement market, the Potenza RE960AS Pole Position RFT featuring Bridgestone’s 3G RFT (3rd Generation Run Flat Technology). It earned the praise of the Tire Rack team and our customers by providing ride quality similar to non-run-flat tires, longer wear, lower cost and better availability. Its drawback was being restricted for use only on cars with O.E. run-flat tires.
Now Bridgestone introduces their DriveGuard tire in sizes for sedans, coupes and station wagons that promises to
be even better. In order to introduce their new product, Bridgestone invited selected dealers and journalists to
experience the DriveGuard’s comfort and performance when properly inflated and completely flat.
DriveGuard tires will guard your drive by allowing you to continue your journey for 50 miles at speeds up to 50 mph, even if a puncture has allowed all of the air pressure to escape.
| Vehicle | Brand | Pattern | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 Toyota Camry SE | Bridgestone | DriveGuard | 215/55RF17 94V |
Our first experience was driving a Toyota Camry with a completely flat left-front tire on a twisting parking lot course and 50 mph access roads.
The Camry equipped with a flat tire only exhibited a slight tendency for the vehicle to pull in the direction of the flat tire and was easy to maneuver through the course and on the road.
And while the flat DriveGuard tire made some rumbling sounds when driven around tight corners at relatively low speeds, we found the noise generated by the flat tire became quieter when driven at higher speeds or through sweeping turns.
This experience reinforced why Bridgestone requires DriveGuard candidate vehicles be equipped with a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) to warn the driver of a tire losing pressure or going flat (and signal the driver to set the trip odometer to identify the starting point of their 50-mile run-flat range). Without TPMS, a driver on a long interstate highway trip might not realize if or when a tire had been punctured. Fortunately this isn’t a significant restriction since TPMS has been required on virtually all cars sold in the U.S. since the 2008 model year.
With multiple drivers behind the wheel throughout the day, the total combined distance traveled on the flat
DriveGuard tire reached the promised range of 50 miles. While only showing light abrasion on the flat tire’s
sidewalls, innerliner wrinkling was visible when the tire was dismounted. Innerliner wrinkling confirmed the tire
had sacrificed itself being run flat and would require replacement.
| Vehicle | Brand | Pattern | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 Nissan Altima S | Bridgestone Bridgestone Michelin |
DriveGuard Turanza Serenity Plus Primacy MXV4 |
215/55RF17 94V 215/55R17 94V P215/55R17 93V |
Our next exercise was driving on a road course consisting of straightaways, sweeping turns and 90° corners. In this exercise, we compared three different sets of properly inflated tires at higher speeds on three identical Altimas equipped with Bridgestone’s new DriveGuard, their popular Turanza Serenity Plus and a standard Altima O.E. tire.
All three tires delivered equivalent noise comfort and a similar ride quality, with DriveGuard’s extra reinforcement only becoming apparent when driving over larger, sharper bumps. We also found the DriveGuard sidewall reinforcement that provides the self-supporting run-flat capability also stabilized the sidewalls to deliver more positive steering response and cornering stability.
| Vehicle | Brand | Pattern | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 BMW 328i | Bridgestone Bridgestone |
DriveGuard Turanza Serenity Plus |
225/50RF17 94W 225/50R17 94W |
Our final experience was comparing the wet traction of properly inflated DriveGuard and Turanza Serenity Plus tires. This was conducted behind the wheel of a BMW 328i on a short autocross style parking lot course that was wetted periodically by water trucks.
Since DriveGuard tires feature the same tread compound as the Turanza Serenity Plus, it was no surprise that both tires delivered equal wet traction, braking and cornering forces at low speeds.
While every mile you drive during your busy day is important, there are none more important than the miles that allow you to continue your journey by delivering you from the danger of being stranded by the side of the road with a flat tire.
If your vehicle was fitted with Original Equipment run-flat tires that disappointed you because of their summertime driving focus or undesirable combination of ride quality, treadwear and cost, Bridgestone’s DriveGuard Grand Touring All-Season run-flat is worthy of your consideration.
And if your vehicle was never offered with O.E. run-flat tires, DriveGuard can guard your drive by adding 50 more driving miles of range that allow you to continue your journey to reach safety or your destination.
The Tire Rack team will be running a full test on the road, on the track and in the snow. We’ll report our complete findings as they become available.
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