Tire Business
Graniteville, SC
Bridgestone Amercias Inc. is expanding the range of MasterCore giant mining tires produced in the U.S. with the addition of two 63-inch sizes that previously were produced on in Japan. Standing 13 feet tall and weighing upwards of 10,000 pounds each --- in sizes 53/80R63, and 59/80R63-- the new tires are designed for haul trucks and rigid haul trucks used in open-pit mining and complement a range of nine other 63-inch- rim-diameter sizes produced at the Bridgestone's Aiken County plant in Graniteville in three iterations: VRPS, VRF and YREV. The masterCore V-Steel Rock Extra V-Operation tire (size 53/80/R63) is a premium radial designed to minimize heat generation, which in turn helps users maximize their workload, Bridgestone said. The MasterCore V-Steel Rock Premium Service radial tire (size 59/80R63) features a durable casing for high resistance to wear, cutting and heat generation. Pricing information for the new products was not disclosed. Bridgestone claims mining tires built with the MasterCore technology deliver up to 5% more durability and allow users the option of operating their trucks at 10% higher speeds or carry 15% greater payloads, thereby maximizing a mines productivity. Bridgestone added capacity in 2020 for MasterCore-based tires at the Aiken County Plant. Capacity also is in place at Bridgestone plants in Shimonoseki and Kitakyushu, Japan.