Bsr Rings Or Not?

[ninja365]

Hi all,

Have just bought a T180 on a 57 plate which came with Good Year 235/55/18 front tyres and the standard Bridgestone Dueller's on the back. The garage I bought the car from didn't know if the BSR rings had been removed or not. Can other makes of tyres run on the BSR system or is it only a Bridgestone thing so would need removing to accommodate the Good Years?

Any comments gratefully received.

Joe.

[philip42h]

OK ... the Bridgestone Support Ring system works with Bridgestone Duellers that are clearly marked (once you know what you are looking for) with the BSR 'doughnut' symbol only - not with any other makes of tyre.

Bridgestone also make identically sized tyres, also called Duellers that do not bear the BSR 'doughnut' symbol - you cannot use such tyres in conjunction with the BSR system; but of course you could if the support ring had been removed.

So the first thing to do is to look for the BSR 'doughnut' symbol on your Duellers - if it's there, then its a fair chance that the original support rings are still in place.

But the only way to be really sure is to have someone with the magic machine remove the tyres and look ... and then remove the rings if present and fit standard tyres.

[ninja365]

Hi Philip

Thanks for your reply. The rear Bridgestone's have the doughnut symbol on them but the Good Year's on the front have nothing. I am wondering if the BSR have been removed from the front back left on the back?

[philip42h]

That's what the evidence would suggest ...

[namead]

OK ... the Bridgestone Support Ring system works with Bridgestone Duellers that are clearly marked (once you know what you are looking for) with the BSR 'doughnut' symbol only - not with any other makes of tyre.

And this is where it gets interesting...

I contacted Bridgestone UK in Jan 2013 about the tyres, and their man said there was no difference beetween a marked tyre and a non-marked tyre (apart from the mark). The tyre itself (his words) is not run flat - its the BSR that makes it run flat.

I got all my BSRs removed by Listers I think it was them in Coventry, and new tyres fitted, which happened to have the mark but NO BSR ring inside the wheel. Everyone - Bridgestone UK, Listers, were happy that this was an acceptable use. I documented it with them in case there were problems. To date - no issues

I bought a full size wheel (with BSR and tyre) as a spare (sits inside the boot). When I had a puncture, I swapped over and that is on NSF. Its been there for about 10k miles so far

It would seem that despite all Bridgestone's hype about the special dueller, they aren't, they are the same spec as anything else you choose to use.

But would I fit BSRs? Why? Its nothing but hassle. I got shot of mine shortly after the 4.4 was on the market and BSR had been dumped as a concept. Dealers will, I'm sure, start getting rid of redundant machinery (the fitting for BSRs) and I didn't want to get stuck