Nokian Tyres Inc. is once again expanding its lineup of all-season tires designed specifically for the North American market. The eNtyre C/S targets the growing CUV and SUV tire segment. The tire focuses on performance, durability and comfort, and is backed by a 65,000 mile limiited treadwear warranty. The tire will be available in 30 sizes in January and February of 2018.
Nokian gave tire dealers their first look at the tire when the company celebrated the groundbreaking of its first North American tire production facility in Dayton, Tenn.
“The Nokian eNtyre C/S was developed specifically for North America where drivers want a safe-riding tire that performs year-round,” says Tommi Heinonen, head of Nokian Tyres North America. “Widening our selection of all-season products is a direct result of our North American investment strategy and yet another example of Nokian Tyres’ continued commitment to customers in the U.S. and Canada.”
Nokian says the tire handles predictably and safely in all driving conditions. It has a stiff shoulder with robust blocks offering stability and longitudinal support. Additionally, the shoulder blocks are attached to each other at the edges with a longitudinal support bridge, improving handling properties.
The tire’s tread pattern features four main grooves connected with lateral sipes to remove water and slush. The main grooves’ high-polish finish makes them usher water away even better, the company says, and helps resist hydroplaning. They also feature soft soil and snow grip enhancers which improve the grip when driving in muddy or snowy conditions. The sidewalls are reinforced with Aramid Sidewall technology which provides durability and puncture resistance. The main grooves are also deeper than usual resulting in excellent mileage.
The Nokian eNtyre C/S comes equipped with Nokian’s Driving Safety Indicator (DSI), which can be found in four places in the central rib. The numbers indicate the depth of the main grooves in percentages which fade away as the tire wears down, telling the driver when they should consider buying replacements. Along with those numbers, the tire also features a water drop symbol which shows the decreased hydroplaning performance of a tire as it wears out.
The tire’s center rib uses variable left-right siping, which means openings switch from left to right with each sipe, allowing more sipe edges to be used. This results in better grip while maintaining a stable and responsive driving feel. The center rib is also surrounded by a special 3D-lockpattern that stiffens the blocks and allows for maximum use.
The Nokian eNtyre C/S features two new innovations to reduce noise.
The main innovation is the Silent Groove Design which uses hemispherical indentations resembling the surface of a golf ball on the walls of the longitudinal center rib to control air flow. The indentations cut out sounds made by the edges of the transverse grooves and prevent unpleasant howling sounds.
Another noise reducing innovation is the Silent Sidewall Technology, a special zone constructed on the sidewall of the tire that removes noise and vibration carried over from the driving surface by the tire tread.
The Clinch Rubber Compound presses flexibly against the wheel flange providing the bead area with more durability and minimizes interior rolling noise.
Size offerings
Nokian says production of the new tire has already begun, and all 30 sizes, ina mix of H- and T-rated sizes, will be available to dealers in the U.S. and Canada in early 2018.
16 inches: 265/75R16, 215/70R16, 215/65R16
17 inches: 215/65R17, 225/65R17, 235/65R17, 245/65R17, 215/60R17, 225/60R17, 235/60R17, 235/55R17
18 inches: 235/65R18, 255/65R18, 225/60R18, 235/60R18, 245/60R18, 265/60R18, 215/55R18, 225/55R18, 235/55R18, 235/50R18
19 inches: 255/60R19, 225/55R19, 235/55R19, 245/55R19
20 inches: 235/55R20, 245/50R20, 255/50R20, 265/50R20, 255/45R20
