The one detraction: Road feel on the H/L 422 Plus wasn’t quite as nice. Durability also improves - the treadwear warranty is up to 70,000 miles from 65,000. What does matter is that Bridgestone claims the H/L 422 Plus will help improve consumer’s fuel economy. None of this, though, matters to the normal consumer. Regardless, transitioning from corner to corner was also improved. But it felt a little silly to test that in a RAV4 Hybrid. The new tire has a lot more grip in wet conditions –- a lot more. This time the comparison was between the new and old Bridgestone tires and the vehicle for the test was an eco-appropriate Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. The new Ecopia H/L 422 Plus replaces the old Dueler H/L Ecopia 422 with similar claims of improvements in inclement weather as the others we tested, along with better comfort and fuel economy. With the rise of SUVs and crossovers, the company decided to make a tire specifically for high-riding vehicles. With that in mind, even Bridgestone admits these tires are meant to handle no more than “light snow.” Folks who live north of the Ohio River should mount true winter tires in the cold.įor the fuel conscious, Bridgestone sells the Ecopia lineup. On the Bridgestones, the BMW reacted to my inputs quicker and the front held the road so well I could get the rear end to step out in a controllable manner.īridgestone believes the new RE980AS tires will appeal to enthusiasts and “accidental enthusiasts” who purchased a vehicle with summer tires on it and want more all-year capability. They performed well in the wet too, but the RE980AS held to the wet track even better. In the dry, the Continentals had staggering levels of grip. That claim will go unchecked here in Texas, but Bridgestone offered 3-Series BMWs for another autocross test one with RE980AS’ mounted, another with Continental ExtremeContact DWS06s. Bridgestone calls it an ultra-high performance all-season tire and claims it retains the same amount of dry grip as the previous model, the RE970AS, yet has improved cold weather performance by 50 percent. For those folks, it offers the Potenza RE980AS. But Bridgestone finds that many consumers want high-performance rubber that stays on the car year-round and can handle poor weather. The Potenza name is reserved for the sportiest and grippiest tires the company offers. Competitor tires weren’t on-hand, as this was more to prove that Bridgestone’s tires were good enough in these conditions, as well as capable on road. Both trucks had no trouble climbing a steep incline, which was also the case for deep mud pits and uneven rock trails. To test off-road capability, A/T Revo 3-equipped Toyota Tacoma TRD Pros and Ford F-150s were available, as were several obstacles. But, hey, that’s a small price for more grip. The Bridgestone gripped better in both wet and dry conditions but also made all the little ruts and cuts in the rough tarmac noticeable. The downside is that what the Revo 3s gain in performance, they also gain in irritating road feel. In corners where the Continentals could do no more than 35 mph, Bridgestone-equipped Yukons hit 40 mph. In the wet, they offered noticeably more grip and allowed the Yukon to more quickly transition through left-to-right corners. To test this out, Bridgestone offered a GMC Yukon with its tire and another with a set of Continental TerrainContact A/Ts and set me loose on a wet autocross course. And they think the tire still performs well on the road. Light off-roading will happen on the occasional weekend.
That said, Bridgestone understands that the majority of consumers will use this tire on tarmac for a minimum of six out of the seven days of the week. For good measure, Bridgestone gave the 3 a beefier look than its predecessor. Bridgestone also used a new tread design that they claim increases tread life by 20 percent, now 60,000 miles, and reduces the risk of hydroplaning. This is supposed to give the A/T Revo 3 better off-roading and winter-driving abilities. One feature to achieve this is named “Traction Claw,” a design element that pushes mud and dirt out of the tire tread, yet allows snow to pack into it. For the 3, Bridgestone opened an off-road course at its headquarters to test its dirt-friendly tires to help ensure off-roaders' approval. Consumers claimed that the last generation, the A/T Revo 2, lacked off-roading capability. Off-roading, though, according to Bridgestone, was the main focus for the tire. With that in mind, the new A/T Revo 3 attempts to find a middle ground. The majority of SUV owners don’t go off-road on a daily basis, if ever, instead using their vehicles for pretty much every other task. Bridgestone places it in the “Best” segment, meaning it’s one of the premium options in the lineup. The Dueler A/T Revo 3 is an all-terrain tire aimed predominantly at SUV owners.
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