How do you grab the attention of a group of consumers who have "just about seen it all"? You emblazon the tire sidewall with leaping flames, figures Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
The company's new Dunlop SP Sport Inferno is designed for the sport-compact drag segment. It is a competition drag tire that also is street-legal, allowing enthusiasts to drive their high-performance machines from the street to the track, the company says.
Viewed from the side, the Inferno sports a wild "racer" look, with the image of flames climbing across the sidewall. The tread face consists of directional, sweeping grooves, which optimize tread life and maximize the tire's longitudinal (straight-line) performance.
"As radical as the appearance of the Inferno is, with its flaming sidewall images and distinctive tread pattern, the technology below the surface is really what will fire up this crowd," says Mike Pulte, Dunlop's manager of extreme performance.
"It's also a great track-side complement to our SP Sport FM 901 tire, which is Dunlop's street version for ultra-performance on sport compacts."
The tire, available in a 205/50R15 size in the first quarter of 2004, has a tread compound based on the Dunlop drag racing slick. The Inferno's traction compound delivers consistent launches and quarter-mile times, according to the company.
The tread, carcass and mold shape were fully computer-designed. It also comes with a rim guard that helps to protect expensive
aftermarket wheels.
