Bridgestone chasing a gap in HiLux, Ranger, Triton ute aftermarket world

Anyone serious about off-roading knows the ins and outs of the aftermarket world, incorporating accessories like recovery gear, vehicle armour, lights, and tyres.

For a new four-wheel drive owner who is primarily going to be staying on sealed roads with the occasional adventure, there are options designed to keep cars comfortable day-to-day while adding off-road capability.

Bridgestone says tyres are one of the easiest ways to modify a vehicle to improve versatility in a wider range of driving conditions – and yes, we know Bridgestone is in the tyre business…

Its new tyre is the Dueler A/T 002, which has been designed specifically to bridge the gap between highway-terrain OEM tyres and harder-core off-road or light commercial rubber.

The A/T 002 launched in Australia and New Zealand in March and replaced passenger versions of the Dueler A/T 697, which is now only offered as a light truck option. It sits between mud-terrain tyres, and highway-terrain tyres.

Bridgestone says the new tyre has an 80 per cent skew to on-road driving. We had the opportunity to test the A/T 002 in Noosa on- and off-road, and its performance on highway felt no different to a normal car tyre while still holding up on sand.

Bridgestone Australia sales director, Claudio Sodano, said the A/T 002’s skew to performance on sealed roads was intended to attract the occasional off-roader.

“The main thing is to have a deep think about what you want to use the vehicle for, so you don’t want to put yourself in a situation where you do some severe off-roading and you get stuck,” he said.

“But if you’re the typical SUV-owning recreational four-wheel drive user, you want to focus on the performance on road. I think that’s what the A/T 002 does.

“It’s about making sure you’ve got the right tyre. If you’re never going completely off-road, there’s no point having an all-terrain because of noise, rolling resistance, and the rest of it.

“But if you’re going off-road camping or you’re putting a boat into the into the water and you need to do a bit of work on the sand, you need to have the confidence you can do that.”

The A/T 002 isn’t currently sold as a standard tyre on any new vehicles, though Mr Sodano said Bridgestone Australia would be willing to explore the possibility if the opportunity arose.

“It depends on what the [manufacturer] wants – but at the end of the day, if a manufacturer were to approach us about [standard fitment], it’s something that we would do. At the moment, it’s basically a replacement [tyre],” Mr Sodano said.

“Most SUVs come with a highway terrain, so [the A/T 002 is] really the perfect fit for someone that’s bought an SUV and says, ‘I want to do a bit of off-road’. You don’t sacrifice the on-road performance and you get a bit of off-road capability.”

Bridgestone says it developed the A/T 002 for adequate grip on dirt, mud, snow, and sand, while also adapting its rubber compound for improved on-road performance in the wet.

Mr Sodano says the A/T 002 is typically fitted to off-road capable vehicles like the Toyota LandCruiser Prado, Isuzu D-Max, and Nissan Patrol, among others.

It joins a growing catalogue of aftermarket parts available for such cars, with companies like Ironman 4×4 also offering a range of accessories for multiple different models.

Among the latest in its catalogue is a range of off-road ready parts for the 2024 Mitsubishi Triton, which includes things like under armour, bullbars, a rear protection tow bar, side rails and steps, a canopy, and roof racks.

MORE: Ironman 4×4 reveals accessories for 2024 Mitsubishi Triton