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Rolling Along: New Players and Tires

Autosphere » Tires » Rolling Along: New Players and Tires

There’s a lot of action in the commercial tire sector.

After a bit of a slow period, several tire manufacturers have made some big announcements, a few of which were rolled out at the Mid-America Trucking Show back in March.

Pirelli Enters Truck Market

The biggest news of all comes from Italian tire manufacturer Pirelli, which recently launched the truck lines that they’d promised a few months back. Besides the fact that they offer commercial truck tire lines in other global markets, mainly in Europe, Pirelli wasn’t present in the North American truck market.

As of now, their offering consists of two different brands, Pirelli Pentathlon including FG, TG and FH as well as Formula. The first brand is going head-to-head with industry stalwarts such as Michelin, Goodyear, Continental or Bridgestone, while the second brand will compete against rivals Firestone, Dunlop, Toyo and other similar brands.

In a nutshell, the Pirelli lineup looks like this: Pentathlon are SmartWay approved highway tires featuring SATT (Spiral Advanced Technology for Trucks), while the FG and TG are unidirectional steer and drive off road heavy-duty application tires. The FG:85 and TG:85 are available in 11R22.5 and 11R24.5 fitments. As for FH:01 tires, they are designed for bus and coach use and can be mounted on all axles. Formula Driver II tires are also engineered with SATT technology that delivers uniform wear, durability and other benefits of this nature. They are aimed squarely at users looking for an affordable heavy-duty truck tire option.

Additional Pirelli News

On another front, Pirelli (now a subsidiary of ChemChina) recently announced that its industrial tire division is merging with ChemChina’s, and henceforth will be known as Prometeon Tyre.

New Cooper Roadmaster Tires

American manufacturer Cooper Tire & Rubber has just launched its new RM852(EM)A SmartWay approved heavyduty long-haul tire. The new Roadmaster commercial tire line has a special tread compound with 30/32nd grooves and reinforced shoulders that increase grip during inclement weather. The tire also distinguishes itself with variable density 3D Micro-Gauge sipes for superior stability and grip on wet pavement.

General Tire Launches New Light Truck and Van Tire

Continental Tire’s General Tire division recently announced the introduction of the Grabber HD, designed specifically for the new generation of commercial light trucks and vans (Chevrolet Express, Ford Transit, Mercedes Sprinter, Nissan NV, Ram ProMaster). It features Duragen technology that delivers improved comfort, grip, road handling and superior longevity.

The sidewalls are even protected from potential lateral abrasions. As of product launch, the Grabber HD is available in 11 sizes including LT-Metric for 16 and 17-inch wheels and three Euro Van sizes for 15 and 16-inch wheels.

New Hankook Commercial Tires

South-Korean tire manufacturer Hankook recently announced the launch of the new AH37 and DH37 commercial regional haul and bus tire lines. These two new products offer decreased rolling resistance that deliver substantial fuel-economy savings.

Both offerings feature the Hankook 3D Kerf technology that delivers better grip, increased fuel economy and longer tread life. The new tires are both SmartWay and California Air Resources Board (CARB) certified to reduce their environmental impact.

The AH37 is a steer/all-position axle tire with a footprint that offers improved traction and fuel economy while providing a smoother ride and better handling, according to the manufacturer. The new kerf design displaces water for improved road grip in adverse weather conditions. Oliver Tire tread design

As for the DH37, Hankook describes it as a commercial tire application for school buses and regional haul trucks. Designed for extreme longevity and excellent grip in all conditions, the DH37 features a large footprint and aggressive tread design.

Two New Oliver Product Offerings

American retread tire specialist, Oliver, part of the Michelin Group, recently announced the launch of its new Oliver Lug Traction Drive (ORCO LTD) for regional and urban commercial vehicles.

According to the company, these allweather traction tires are ideal for school bus and delivery use, especially those used for food and beverages. ORCO uses an exclusive VDI Plus tread technology that resists stone retention and other road debris. These products are available in five widths: 200; 210; 220; 230 and 240 while distinguishing themselves with a warranty to 2/32nd-inch of tread depth.

In addition, Oliver introduced its Ultra Low Profile Trailer tire available in 375 mm size. The tire is designed for longhaul, wide-base trailer applications and is SmartWay certified.

This retreaded tire with X-One technology delivers improved fuel economy as a result of its unique compound.

Categories : Tires

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