As OEMs continue to produce more variations of CUV vehicles, tire makers are up to the challenge of keeping them rolling on the correct tires.
Just in time for the 2013 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show Nov. 5-8 in Las Vegas, tire makers have CUV tires to launch and other established models to show off.
Here’s what tire makers told us they’ll be showcasing, and some share their plans for the future of CUV tires.
Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations LLC
At Bridgestone we offer a wide range of tires for the CUV market, including our Bridgestone Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia, available in 20 sizes ranging from 215/65R16 to 245/50R20. We will have new sizes in early 2014.
Continental Tire the Americas LLC
Continental Tire meets the de-mands of CUV customers with the CrossContact LX20 and with the new General Tire Altimax RT43 and Grabber HTS lines. New sizes and lines are updated as needed to stay in tune with the market.
Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.
Cooper is very active in developing new CUV sizes with a focus on ride, handling and mileage. We have a range of new 19- and 20-inch CUV/SUV sizes scheduled to launch in the next few months as additions to our Cooper Discoverer CTS, Mastercraft Courser HSX Tour, Cooper Discoverer A/T3 and Mastercraft Courser AXT lines.
Del-Nat Tire Corp.
We are expecting the release of the new Delta Sierradial AT Plus and National Commando AT Plus soon and have recently finalized plans to add more CUV sizes to our Delta Esteem Plus and National Ovation Plus lines.
GITI Tire (USA) Ltd.
The GT Radial CUV offerings include the Maxtour and the Champiro VP1. SUV products are found in the Savero HT2 product line. As the CUV market continues to grow and dedicated sizes increase, expect a number of manufacturers to offer a dedicated product line for the CUV category.
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Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
Goodyear designates CUV products with a “CS” label. Examples are the Goodyear Assurance CS Fuel Max, Goodyear Assurance CS TripleTred and Dunlop Signature CS. The newest Goodyear tire is the Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure with Kevlar, a tire for light trucks and SUVs. It soon will be available in 44 sizes.
Hercules Tire & Rubber Co.
The Hercules RoadtourXUV is a crossover-specific tire that aims at delivering fuel-efficiency and a quiet ride to consumers. We’ll be debuting a new SUV offering at the SEMA Show, the Hercules Terra Trac HTS. Offered in 26 SUV/LT SKUs, the Terra Trac HTS is designed to deliver stable, comfortable highway travel.
Kenda U.S.A.
At the moment, Kenda does not have a tire specifically for the CUV market; however we do plan to launch a new CUV tire shortly. With our current KR15 SUV/CUV tire, we are looking to expand the range in the 16-, 17- and 18-inch diameter sizes.
Maxxis International
In designing the Escapade CUV tire, Maxxis engineers developed a new technology called the Adaptive Response Sidewall to elevate the overall performance of a CUV tire. The technology allows the tire to be compliant around town but sharpens up during spirited drives.
Nexen Tire America Inc.
Nexen has launched a new CUV pattern called N’Fera RU5, that is specifically designed for CUV replacement, and two new SUV products, the Roadian HTX and Roadian ATPro, which it started taking orders for in September 2013.
Pirelli Tire North America Inc.
We have product lines for the CUV/SUV market such as the Scorpion Verde All Season. It offers drivers increased performance in wet braking, dry handling, wet handling and snow traction, and it reduces aquaplaning. In addition, through decreased rolling resistance compared to its previous all-season tires and an 8% reduction in weight, the Scorpion Verde All Season lowers CO2 emissions.
Sentaida International Inc.
We have three new patterns coming out: the Landsail CLV2 in 16- to 18-inch rim diameters; the Landsail CLV6 in 17- to 26-inch rim diameters; and the Delinte DH2 in 16- to 18-inch rim diameters. Sentaida will soon be adding sizes to its Landsail CLV2 line also.
Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp.
The Versado CUV is designed to have a smooth, quiet ride, good handling and low-rolling resistance. We always look at the CUV and SUV markets, and also upcoming vehicles from OEMs in order to make sure our new tire sizes follow the evolving trends with these vehicles.
Yokohama Tire Corp.
Yokohama chooses to attack the CUV segment with multiple tread patterns that can offer diverse and different driving experiences for consumers. The Avid ENVigor covers customers with a spirited driving style who want more of a high-performance feel from their vehicle’s tires. ■
