Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has a three-tiered approach to the replacement truck tire market in 2016. It recently introduced tires in the premium, mid-tier and economy segments.
Of the six new tires, two are part of Goodyear’s premium Endurance line and two are Goodyear’s latest mid-tier offerings. The Kelly brand competes in the economy market.
“We will continue to prove our commitment to the Kelly brand by introducing new Kelly Armorsteel tires in urban and mixed-service, giving you a complete line of Kelly tires to sell,” Doug Whittington, Goodyear’s director of commercial sales, told the truck tire dealers at the 2016 Dealer Conference in Washington, D.C., earlier this year. “We want all your business.”
Premium and mid-tier tires
The Goodyear brand competes in both the premium and mid-tier markets. The Endurance WHA, a premium tire designed for waste haul fleets, targets “a very different industry,” according to Paul Green, category retread manager. Miles to removal is crucial in this segment, which is why there is a matching precure retread.
The WHA is available in size 325/80R22.5 with or without Goodyear’s DuraSeal Technology.
Goodyear’s Endurance RSA is a regional fleet steer/all-position tire designed for long mileage and high-scrub applications like beverage haulers, school buses and construction trucks. Its stiff tread is partially the result of IntelliMax Rib Technology.
Because 50% of its use is in urban areas, it is not SmartWay-verified, said Norberto Flores, brand manager for commercial tires.
“Customers would not necessarily see the benefit of SmartWay-verified when they have to stop and go, stop and go, but it is still greenhouse-gas compliant, and that makes both tires suitable for the OEMs.”
The Endurance RSA is replacing the G661 HSA is some sizes. Flores said the 661 HSA may remain available in a few sizes for the mid-tier market.
Whittington said the company has introduced the Goodyear Marathon and Workhorse in the “important mid-tier.” The Marathon is a line of SmartWay-verified line-haul tires and the Workhorse line is designed for mixed service fleets.
Goodyear is backing its new tires with a new commercial truck website: goodyeartrucktires.com. According to Dustin Lancy, Goodyear commercial brand marketing specialist, the site does not have e-commerce capabilities.
“The site is designed to connect the fleets to the dealers. And we made it viewable on any device.” ?
Forecasts call for... Dealers can expect growth down the road
Pierre Jambon, vice president of aviation, OTR and commercial tires, shared his market insights with the commercial tire dealers at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s 2016 Dealer Conference.
OTR tires: “You know about the slowdown in mining. It’s true that demand for large OTR tires is down. But the mining business is cyclical. We know from experience that it will recover.”
Truck tires: “Trucking will remain North American’s dominant method of moving goods, with freight volume expected to grow at a steady rate. That’s good news for those of you who serve fleets. Construction activity also is expected to increase at a steady pace.”
