· Bridgestone Australia & New Zealand Managing Director explains why Dueler A/T 002 is his personal tyre of choice.
· The latest addition to the Dueler 4x4 range provides him with the perfect balance between capability and comfort.
· Mr Barclay continues to be passionate about the tyre industry after three decades of commitment.
NOOSA, Queensland (31 July, 2024) — Bridgestone Australia & New Zealand Managing Director, Heath Barclay, admits he has a particular regard for the latest addition to the tyre company’s range, the Dueler A/T 002.
When the A/T 002 was confirmed for our market, Mr Barclay eagerly awaited its arrival and reserved the very first set into Australia for his personal Ford Ranger Wildtrak, anticipating that the flexibility and comfort would be the perfect attributes for his use of the car. He was so excited by their arrival that he even reverted to his tyre store roots and helped fit them himself.
Mr Barclay’s longstanding career within the Bridgestone/Firestone business began as a part-time fitter at his local Firestone store in Dannevirke, NZ in the early 1990s. Mr Barclay joined the store fulltime in 1994 as the manager, and just two years later was on a management cadetship within Firestone NZ, where he then progressed through several roles within Bridgestone NZ.
He moved to Australia in 2013 as Group General Manager of Retail and Marketing, and then serving as the Associate Director Sales & Marketing and member of the board, before becoming Sales Director in 2017 enroute to his appointment as Managing Director in January 2022.
According to Mr Barclay, the upgrade from the original equipment (OE) highway terrain pattern to the Dueler A/T 002 complements the lifestyle of the modern 4x4 owner. Since their fitment, he’s enjoyed the perfect balance of on-road comfort and flexibility that the passenger-construction all-terrain tyre provides.
“The Ranger Wildtrak was my choice to have more flexibility in where I could go, while still enjoying the creature comforts like leather seats. I bought it to enjoy the weekends and to give me flexibility: towing the boat or the jet ski, the drive to and from the Yorke Peninsula and to have the option of going off road for a bit of light fun such as on the beach or scenic national park trails in South Australia,” Mr Barclay said.
“The A/T 002 has enhanced how I use my Ranger. It’s a tyre that gives me confidence to take my Ranger off road and enjoy the lifestyle that I ultimately bought it for, without compromising on the things that matter to me: safety, comfort, and economy.”
The Dueler A/T 002 utilises passenger construction design rather than Light Truck construction, meaning it quieter, lighter and more flexible than Bridgestone’s flagship Dueler A/T 697, providing it with noise, comfort and fuel economy characteristics more like a highway terrain than an all-terrain pattern.
“The road noise is no different to the highway terrains that came off it. That’s something that was really important to me for the drive from Adelaide and the Yorke Peninsula and back, and although I was expecting a slight increase in fuel consumption, it the Dueler A/T 002 didn’t seem to affect my economy by much,” Mr Barclay explained.
“Because I’m not using the ute for more rugged off roading, I don’t need the rigidity in the sidewall or the cut chip and puncture resistance light truck construction offers. The key feature I’m looking for is comfort for on road, and the flexibility to go off road when I want to.”
The Dueler A/T 002 is also the convergence of form and function, with the modern hexagonal block shape and architecture optimised to deliver strong traction on a range of surfaces such as on-road, sand, dirt and gravel, while the wrap around shoulder blocks provide a seamless integration between the face and sidewall for greater traction in sandy, snowy, and light-medium muddy conditions.
While the pattern has practical benefits, the aggressive tread design provides an aesthetic edge over original equipment tyres and visual upgrade to almost any 4x4 on the market.
“The look and the aesthetic of the tyre really appeals to me. The sidewall treatment definitely looks the part on the Ranger Wildtrak and it really is the perfect balance of comfort and capability,” Mr Barclay added.
“The lack of stone retention of the tread face has really surprised me. Usually with an open block pattern tread like this, you may experience some stone retention – which can be so annoying as you come back on-road, but A/T 002’s stone ejection is even better than I expected.”
Dueler A/T 002 is available at the nationwide network of Bridgestone Select Tyre & Auto stores, Bridgestone Service Centres, and reputable tyre retailers.
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