Hankook truck tires have been in the news for four months now. The latest news: its newest regional haul commercial tires were showcased at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky., March 31 through April 2.
Last December, Hankook Tire Co. Ltd. announced it was adding truck and bus tire capacity at a new consumer and commercial tire manufacturing facility (see "Hankook to build plant in Indonesia").
Then its U.S. subsidiary, Hankook Tire America Corp., raised prices on its medium truck tires by a weighted average of 9% on March 15.
“Commercial tires are an important part of our business in the United States,” says Brian Sheehey, director of commercial tires, for Hankook Tire America. “As we begin to see signs of recovery in the economy, we want to be positioned to help support fleets re-energize their business."
The two regional truck tires, the AH24 and DH06, were previewed at the 2010 Hankook Dealer Meeting. They will be available by the third quarter of this year. That will increase the number of Hankook truck tire models to 20.
(Hankook sells it truck tires domestically through more than 700 servicing commercial dealer locations became available this year.)
The AH24 is designed as a premium regional haul, all-position tire for high-scrub situations where endurance, durability and high mileage are vital, according to the company.
The AH24 was developed with adverse weather conditions in mind and employs solid wide ribs and an optimized kerf design to displace water for outstanding grip. An enhanced sidewall design is intended to prevent damage from cuts and abrasions, and to extend casing durability and tire life-cycle performance.
The DH06 is a premium deep drive, open shoulder regional haul tire developed to provide "exceptional grip and control." A deep tread block design allows the DH06 to offer traction in rain, mud and snow conditions.
Particular attention was paid to maximize the DH06’s casing life cycle mileage performance, adds the company.
The tires are backed by one of the industry’s best warranties, adds Sheehey.
Both tires were designed with Hankook’s e3 (pronounced e-Cubed) technology, which focuses on three main areas: energy, economy and environment. For more information on e3, click here.
