Cooper Tire recently announced the addition of a new long haul trailer (LHT) tire to its signature Cooper PRO Series product lineup.
The new release completes the PRO Series product line, which consists of long haul drive and long haul steer tires, with fitments at each tractor/trailer wheel position. Currently available in size 295/75R22.5, the new tire’s additional sizes will be released later this summer.
Gary Schroeder, Executive Director, Global Truck and Bus Tire at Business Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, states that the Cooper PRO Series provides fleets with outstanding value for long haul operations. He further adds, “Our benchmarking tests show the PRO Series’ low cost of ownership, what we call LCO™, is equal to or lower than competitive Tier 1 tires,” he said. “Additionally, Cooper’s LCO performance is backed by an industry-leading, seven-year, two-retread warranty with full replacement value for the first 50 percent of tread life. This reflects the type of value Cooper’s Commercial Series tires deliver to fleets and showcases the confidence we have in our tires.”
The new trailer tire features the same ECO Energy Conservation Optimization) technology from Cooper as present in Cooper PRO Series LHS steer tire. This technology combines tire design, compounding and construction to provide an ultra-low rolling resistance tire. Additionally, the technology allows the tire to exceed SmartWay standard requirements by 15 percent and the product meets the EPA’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions requirements set for 2021.
The tire has 12/32nds of tread depth to deliver long miles to removal. For better load distribution, it has been engineered with a V-shaped tread pattern with evenly spaced ribs. The tire’s design does not allow for irregular wear. Cooper Tire has used a four-belt steel casing construction making it a long-lasting trailer that may provide multiple retreads to bring down costs.
The new tire is equipped with Cooper’s unique Wear Square on the tire’s shoulder ribs to aid in the improvement of tire maintenance. Through five different evolving patterns, the square is able to show the tire’s tread depth. While a full “square” indicates full tread depth, an “L” shape indicates that only half of the tread is left. Additionally, one can find out when the tire needs to be pulled for retreading with the help of the Wear Square. Wear Squares can also indicate when the tire is wearing out irregularly since they are placed on both sides of it. Technicians can be alerted to a potential axle or camber issue at an early stage if they notice that the wear patterns do not match. According to the company, this enables fleet operators to make the appropriate corrective actions, thus extending tire life and overall mileage.
