Reading: Bridgestone chosen to supply tyres on new Aston Martin Rapide

By Oliver Hall

Bridgestone tyres newly developed flagship UHP tyre have been have been chosen as the factory fitment tyre for the new Aston Martin Rapide.

The Potenza S001 have been fitted as standard equipment tyres for the luxury carmakers first production four-door sports car since its launch in April 2010.

The Japanese tyre manufacturer proposed the new-generation Potenza S001 to Aston Martin because of the tyre’s remarkable response and precision, combined with high-level wet stability.

The 20” tyres on the Rapide (Front: 245/40ZR20 95Y, Rear: 295/35ZR20 105Y XL) were specifically developed with a higher sidewall to help dial out vibration and contribute to a quieter cabin.

Didier Schneider, Vice President Original Equipment, Bridgestone Europe, said: “Bridgestone is proud to partner one of the world’s greatest names in luxury sports cars.

“The Rapide is a true thoroughbred and one of the first sports cars to choose our new flagship Potenza S001.”

The Bridgestone / Aston Martin partnership started in the early 1990’s with the DB7. Since then Potenza RE050 tyres have been standard factory fitment on the DB9 and V8 Vantage models.

Reliving the motor-sport heritage of Potenza tyres, the new S001 has been developed exclusively for the world’s most powerful sports cars.

The innovative asymmetric design features stiff ‘high grip’ shoulder blocks enhanced by a lightweight active insert in the bead area, delivering quick-fire response and precise handling. The inner tread area is tuned for safety with Bridgestone’s premium wet pattern technology.

The tyre also has a lighter belt construction and lower rolling resistance than previous Potenza generations, helping to increase fuel efficiency.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 at 10:05 am and is filed under Bridgestone, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.