BFGoodrich’s technical experts have improved the stability and handling of a Ford Ranger deployed by the County Durham and Darlington Fire Service, after tuning the tyre inflation pressures to the precise needs of its BFGoodrich KO2 tyres following comprehensive analysis.
The Targeted Response Vehicle was purchased by the fire and rescue service specifically to manage off-road work, including attending non-life threatening incidents. But some concerns about its instability led to a series of tyre tests at Millbrook Proving Ground, which highlighted issues with unpredictable change from significant understeer to oversteer.
Paul Dodds, Transport Manager at County Durham and Darlington Fire Service, says the service considered changing the tyre specification completely to convert the vehicle for road usage before a call to BFGoodrich’s technical team yielded some “transformational advice”.
“After weighing the vehicle to understand the exact tyre requirements, they advised the BFGoodrich KO2 tyre was suitable for the road, but the inflation pressures were not optimised for the weights and dynamic loads imposed on the tyres in cornering and braking,” he says.
“The tyre pressure increase has led to a remarkable improvement in the handling and stability of the vehicle. BFGoodrich’s insights and expertise have allowed our team to improve vehicle utilisation and cut costs, as we are also seeing a decrease in tyre wear and fuel consumption.”
Brian Porteous, Technical Manager for Car, Van and 4×4 at BFGoodrich, says: “After working with County Durham and Darlington Fire Service for many years, we were happy to help resolve the issues by establishing the optimum tyre settings to allow the Ford Ranger to fulfil its intended purpose safely and effectively. Tyre inflation pressures often require fine-tuning for dynamic vehicle handling and stability in an emergency services application, particularly for a converted vehicle with specific load characteristics different to normal service.”
He adds: “Our engineers have considerable experience and understanding of the requirements of this type of application, so we can specify effective products and appropriate operating conditions to ensure the tyres are fit for purpose.”
Operating a 140-strong fleet, including 55 frontline response vehicles and a second Ford Ranger, the County Durham and Darlington Fire Service serves a population of over 620,000 people spread over almost 2,460 sq km.
