Bridgestone Team | Sept 26 2024 | 10 min read 

A few years back, Michelin challenged Firestone with claims that the traction of their tires is as good, or better, than the Firestone tire with the 23° tread. To settle the debate over who had the best-performing tractor tire, we put our Firestone Radial All Traction 23° R-1 up against the Michelin® Agribib® R-1W.

From the finish line to your bottom line

Starting side-by-side, with the same equipment and the same conditions, the finish wasn't even close. 
 
On a harvested corn field near Slater, Iowa and in front of 50 observers, we set up a demonstration with two drive tractors – one fitted with Firestone brand tires, and the other with Michelin. The tractors ran the same field at the same time, pulling the same load. 
 
After the first quarter-mile run, the tractor fitted with the Firestone Radial All Traction 23° R-1 tires finished 37 ft 4 in – more than 12 full yards – ahead of the tractor fitted with the Michelin Agribib R-1Ws. In the second run, following the exchange of tires between tractors, the tractor fitted with the Firestone tires once again finished ahead – 36 ft 8 in – of the tractor fitted with the Michelin tires. When the results were in, it was clear that the Firestone 23° R-1 out-performed the 45° R-1W. 

This demonstration was just one quarter mile. With these results in mind, how many acres could you cover, and how much fuel could you save after a full workday in the field? Imagine what that means after a season – or over the lifetime of the tires. 
 
Learn more about the 23° difference by visiting your Firestone Certified Farm Tire Dealer.