Swapping Rft For Regular Wheels

[dave.m]

Thank you Kirk for joining us and welcome

It shows a real commitment to customers for a manufacture representative to venture on to a forum like this, well done, we look forward to your input.

Yep, I'll second that. Welcome

Now we can expect a raft of incoming from the T180 boys

[local hero]

Thank you Kirk for joining us and welcome

It shows a real commitment to customers for a manufacture representative to venture on to a forum like this, well done, we look forward to your input.

Yep, I'll second that. Welcome

Now we can expect a raft of incoming from the T180 boys

Not trying to make a point here, but daisyfitz has bought new wheels, and is now looking for tyres, scuse my ignorance but could non run flats be fitted to the original T180 wheels, or are the rims different in some way to accomodate the run flats? well done the guy from Bridgestones for coming on here lets hope we can get some sort of sense out of this, because i cant see anyway i could afford a T180, but i would love one, and so would a lot of others on here if this issue could be resolved..

[anchorman]

Hello All,

My name is Kirk Walker and I am the guy at Bridgestone who is resonsible for the Training on our BSR Tyre system as fitted to the Rav-4 T180.

Sorry to read that the system has been giving you a few problems, one thing that is not mentioned is that the system is also to help maintain control and keep the vehicle upright in the event of sudden pressure loss at high speed.

I have trained 93 Toyota agents in the UK and am now Training a further 67 Indipendent Tyre dealers around the UK who like the Toyota dealers we have supplied the machines.

More Tyre dealers are contacting us to be Trained on the fitting procedure as the actual Tyre machine has been around for the last eight years.

This of course will make "shopping around" for the best price possible.

Accross europe there are now over 1500 trained Toyota and Tyre agents.

Please fell free to email me with any questions and help with your local dealer ect, the last thing Bridgestone want is the System to be seen as a negitve thing.

Take care :)

Kirk

kirk.walker@bridgestone.eu

Kirk

Are you saying that these tyres are available from independant stockist?

If so can you publish a list of those with the facilities please?

Cheers

[Bridgestone]

Hi All,

I am at the moment working with Toyota to produce a full list of Toyota and Tyre dealers who stock and fit the BSR system.

This will be on our website aswell as Toyota`s.

There are quite a few other Tyre dealers who wish to fit this system and have the machine already so I will be training them as soon as possible, the more dealers there are the more choice of who you guys buy your Tyres from. and that cant be a bad thing.

at the moment there are 67 Tyre dealers ready to fit BSR.

Plese email me or even call me for a chat about the wheels, BSR rings ect, anything I can do to help I will.

Take care

Kirk

kirk.walker@bridgestone.eu

07989 359143

[anchorman]

Is it me or has this info come to light as a result of discussing OFT/Monpolies Commission? It seems an amazing coincidence.

Still, thanks Kirk, we await the list with interest. I trust there will be no fixed price structure and independants will be free to offer their own deals? Please don't take this as a dig at you personally but T180 owners have been in an unpleasant situation from the outset and its high time the shackles came off.

[duncerduncs]

Is it me or has this info come to light as a result of discussing OFT/Monopolies Commission? It seems an amazing coincidence.

I think it might be a simple coincidence, as I've been complaining to Toyota GB for something like this since last year!

The penny has dropped somewhere, as it's obvious that the SR180 will sell in larger numbers now that it has been priced around the £23k mark.

Welcome along Kirk

[Bridgestone]

Hi All,

I actually found out about this topic/forum from a Rav-4 owner that rang us to find his local Toyota agent that had the Equipment, as his dealer was some distance away I gave him the number of a local independant Tyre dealer who had the equipment and training.

kirk.walker@bridgestone.eu

07989 359143

[Mereside]

Hi All,

I actually found out about this topic/forum from a Rav-4 owner that rang us to find his local Toyota agent that had the Equipment, as his dealer was some distance away I gave him the number of a local independant Tyre dealer who had the equipment and training.

kirk.walker@bridgestone.eu

07989 359143

Hi Kirk,

I have just bought a T180 and come across this forum. As far as I can work out the RFT's are about £140 to replace as long as the innner ring is not damaged. To avoid this is it advisable or possible to use the tyre gunk can that you can use with other tyres to get you home that inflate the tyre and seal the leak. Will this damage the tyre or the inner ring. I am fortunate that my local dealer is trained and has the machine needed. I am just thinking about if I am away from home.

[Bridgestone]

Hi,

Tyre seal products are becoming very popular now, as you will know if you have the Rav-4 XTR with the mobility kit in the boot and no spare wheel.

You could carry a bottle of gloop (not the technical term) with you to try to avoid damage to the support ring. But the tyres fitted to your car have a lubricant inside to prevent friction between the support ring and the tyre if it were ever to run flat. this may effect the performance of the sealing agent.

Going back to the question about the wheels fitted to the T180, The wheels are a standard 7.5Jx18 alloy wheel. in some countries there a few styles of wheels you can have fitted to your T180 still with the support ring fitted. Places like Austria the T180 owners have a set of Winter Tyres built up with BSR.

Kirk

kirk.walker@bridgestone.eu

07989 359143

[sywy]

Kirk,

Are there any national chains (Kwikfit, ATS etc) subscribing to the BSR, or is it all independent fitters?

[Plutus]

Kirk

What is the situation if T180 owners take their vehicles abroad - I am thinking about (say) going to the continent on holiday?

Peter

[Bridgestone]

Most of the independant dealers are all part of the Bridgestone First Stop network so you will see the First Stop signs outside, also we are Training some National Tyre Service locations at the moment.

Accross Europe we have 1500 trained Toyota and Tyre dealers, again the Tyre dealers are First Stop agents and part of the deal is that they keep BSR products on the shelf ready for a T180 coming into them with a Tyre problem.

Take care

Kirk

kirk.walker@bridgestone.eu

07989 359143

[Plutus]

Thanks Kirk

[RaverT180]

Good points,

Like the self supporting runflat Tyres found on BMW ect this system had to start somewhere,

I am sure that the costs and times will go down now the T180`s are coming up for Tyre change as the first 18 months was very quiet for us as it was only puncture or impact damage that we came accross, not the worn Tyres we now see.

Kirk

kirk.walker@bridgestone.eu

Hi Kirk,

Playing catch up here on this sub topic. Welcome, its gr8 to hear from Bridgestone direct pity cant say the same about the largest motor corpn in the world.

Our beef is reallyagainst toyota who according to their early publicity blurb approached you guys to produce an alternative to the usual stiff walled rft that would provide better ride comfort to their customers. No mention was made that we could only get repairs/replacements from suitably equiped and trained Toyota dealers until you read the car manual once you've purchased it.

As it currently stands:-

1.BMW Mini rft replacement £85

2. T180 replacement (screw in tyre but did not deflate)

Tyre: £146

R F Ring: £90

Labour: £70

Plus V.A.T. equals grand total of £356

We really look forward to seeing the list of dealers that can provide the necessary replacement when it is ready. As it stands even the Bridgestone Europe web site stated yesterday that with regard to the "Bridgestone Support Ring" the only vehicle equipped with this tyre is the "Toyota Rav4 X" To paraphrase with regard to the Rav replacement requires specific equipment and training prefabed assemblies should be replaced with identical prefabed assemblies . Then the TPMS is mentioned and "therefore the fitment replacement should always be carried out by an authorised Toyota repair location"

As we go into recession the second hand car market is in free fall and no doubt the new car market is increasingly feeling the pinch.

Unless other car manufacturers adopt this system the T180/ SR180 will remain a minute market where competion amonst tyre dealers will have a minimal effect on the overall cost .

Kirk, Thanks again for your valued input perhaps there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Look forward to that list!!!

Regards