February 19, 2010
The changing face of HP/UHP
Vehicle and tire trends, plus how to treat 'sticker shock' at first replacement
By: Mike Manges
Take a close look at the next late-model, mid-size sedan that rolls into your parking lot. Make note of the car’s tires. More often than not, you’ll find larger tires with a smaller aspect ratio and a higher speed rating — tires that perhaps 10 years ago would have been confined to the high performance or ultra-high performance categories.
Used to be, HP and UHP tires were strictly found on high-powered sports cars. Not anymore. Now, cars like the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and other common sedans are rolling off the assembly line outfitted with 50-series to 55-series tires, some up to 17 inches in diameter.
“High performance is no longer as rare a designation as it used to be,” says Fred Koplin, director, marketing communications, for Yokohama Tire Corp. “There are simply more vehicles coming with tires that years ago would have been considered aftermarket upgrades. Now they’re standard.”
The proliferation of these tires at the original equipment level presents opportunities if you have the knowledge and expertise to steer customers toward suitable replacements.
That’s why it’s vital to understand why formerly exotic tire and wheel packages are becoming more and more common.
And it’s equally important that you know how to explain this trend to buyers. The idea is to put them in the right tire so they can drive away confident that they’ve made a smart investment.
Many different angles
“There’s no doubt performance is being pushed from a lot of different angles,” says Travis Roffler, director of marketing, Continental Tire North America Inc. (CTNA).
Increased vehicle sophistication is the reason, say tire company executives. This has driven the diameter of OE tires up while the sidewalls on OE tires have gotten smaller.
“The braking capabilities of cars are just so much better,” says Mark Richter, senior manager of dealer marketing, Falken Tire Corp.
“Most vehicles are coming with disc brakes so OEMs need more space inside the wheel. We’re seeing fewer 16-inch tires.” (For an in-depth, year-by-year look at the evolution of passenger tire sizes, see the chart on page 22.)
“Some cars have sport packages, as well. Take the Honda Accord; the base Accord comes with a four-cylinder engine and then there’s a V-6. Some of the V-6 Accords in the past have come with V-rated tires.”
“Technology is allowing us to make HP and UHP tires that are very well-rounded,” says Tom Gravalos, vice president of motorsports, marketing and OE sales, Pirelli Tire North America Inc. (PTNA). “And carmakers are in a position now to expand the placement of HP and UHP tires on vehicles. All of this is because of modern, sophisticated technology.”
“I think to some degree there are styling considerations in terms of wheel diameter size,” says Yokohama’s Koplin, “but I also think the OEMs are asking, ‘What can we do to improve handling? What can we do to improve braking?’
“They recognize that the tire is a very important component. If they want to achieve specific performance goals, tires are part of the equation.”
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