The launch presentation for Bridgestone’s new Potenza Adrenalin RE001 performance road tyre seemed much like any other. But as talk of inside offset twin ribs and multi-curved slant grooves drew to a close, the tone shifted from straight-laced, to young and cool – and the introduction of Bridgestone’s future.
A curtain opened, revealing a mock young car-enthusiast garage-cum-living-room featuring graffiti’d walls and pumping dance music. And the centrepiece – the Adrenalin-sponsored Drift Australia series S15 Nissan 200SX flanked by a pair of girlies and some dudes hanging ’round kicking its tyres.
Yep, all that “razzamatazz”, as Bridgestone’s Burkhard Kabelitz put it, signals Bridgestone’s new marketing tilt for the modified-car enthusiast dollar.
Bridgestone claimed that it has a pretty conservative image. News to me – I had the impression of strong motorsport involvement and factory-fitment on plenty of exotic metal. Of course, it has built up the image of a dependable family-car tyre brand with an emphasis on safety, but we reckon that fits in alongside Bridgestone’s tyre-burning pursuits without sacrificing too much cred.
So Bridgestone already had most of the market covered. But the youthful demographic it’s now targeting are different. Bridgestone calls them “affluent early-adopter”’ which I figure to mean they have a high disposable income and like jumping on bandwagons. If someone says a product’s good, they buy it.
Different market, different strategy. So in addition to the usual TV and magazine ads, Bridgestone’s unique marketing campaign for the Adrenalin also comprises Adrenalin-branded Industrie clothing and a presence at Autosalon shows around the country. There’s also the dedicated website – www.potenza-adrenalin.com - and a viral video.
But enough of the hype. Is the Adrenalin any good? Well, if nothing else, the design objective set for the new tyre is admirable.
Too often performance tyres – and performance parts – only show their worth when a car’s driven hard. Thanks to nasty things like traffic and road rules, most road cars aren’t driven hard very often.
With development input from ex-F1 driver Stefano Modena, Bridgestone set out to produce a performance road tyre that delivers under normal driving and hard driving. As a result, the do-it-all Adrenalin supersedes two tyres – the Potenza GIII and S03 mid-range performance tyres that sat below the top-spec RE050 and RE050A in the Bridgestone hierarchy.
Bridgestone claims that in normal driving the Adrenalin delivers immediate off-centre steering feel and linearity of response to steering wheel angle – where performance and competition tyres can sometimes feel doughy. The aim is that drivers can appreciate the benefits every time they drive their car – not just when they’re having a go.
To prove those claims, or otherwise, a pair of Evo IXs and Commodore Omegas were available and a series of driving exercises set up around the Holden Precision Driving Centre in Norwell, Queensland. One of each was on an equivalent competitor tyre – the Holden on Michelin Pilot Primacys and the Evo on Yokohama C.drives – the other on Adrenalins.
It took just a few hundred metres and a couple of bites of steering to feel the difference. Bridgestone’s claims of immediate off-centre feel, sharpness and linearity rang true. Driven up to and slightly over the limit, the progressive breakaway made them both reassuring and fun, particularly on the Evo IX – the perfect tool for playful lift-off oversteer.
The difference was so marked that I questioned whether the cars’ toe, camber and caster settings were tweaked in Bridgestone’s favour – the steering feel and general agility were that much better. The official line was that all cars were set to factory specifications. That being the case, Bridgestone has done a fine job on the new tyre.
Of lesser importance, the Adrenalin also looks the part, with a purposeful-looking tread pattern almost like that of a semi-slick. We’re thankful the naff, ’90s “V” tread pattern has gone the way of tri-spoke wheels and stick-on vinyl graphics.
So if you’re young, cool and want the latest in performance road tyres, the word on the street is Bridgestone Adrenalins are it. Ditto if, like us, you simply know a good thing when you drive (on) it.
The Potenza Adrenalin RE001 is available now to suit most cars in sizes from 15- to 18-inches.