Toyo Tire (U.S.A.) Corp. is using this week's SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) Show as a forum to introduce a new tire, the Proxes R888, and preview another tire, the Versado LX.
The Proxes R888 is a DOT-approved R (racing) compound tire that will be made available during the first quarter of 2007 in 17- and 18-inch sizes. Its size range will eventually go from 13 inches to 19 inches, a Toyo official told moderntiredealer.com.
A wide center block offers traction and directional control for dry braking. Large, interlocked shoulder blocks maintain a large surface area during cornering for an immediate steering response and optimum dry traction, the company says.
The combination of the two provides a large overall surface area for optimized contact pressure distribution during cornering, braking and acceleration.
Another feature of the Proxes R888 is a rounded shoulder which maintains contact area during suspension geometry changes in hard turns. A unidirectional angled-groove tread has a 6/32-inch tread depth to help eject water and to avoid hydroplaning in wet weather conditions. The tire can be shaved to 4/32-inch for maximum dry traction.
The Proxes R888 also incorporates a high modulus filler located in the center of the tire bead structure to help reduce tire wall deflection under hard cornering. The addition of this reinforcing material results in quick transitional response for fast maneuvering. A jointless cap and edge ply ensure high speed dimensional stability around the circumference of the tire.
The Versado LX is a new luxury touring passenger tire that will come on-line this coming spring.
The Versado LX all-season tire provides a smooth, comfortable and quiet ride, says the company. The tread has four longitudinal grooves with Toyo's Silent Wall design. Silent Wall features densely packed serrations along the wall of the longitudinal grooves that reduce “air rushing” or “whistling” noise while traveling along the highway.
The Versado LX also has a non-directional, asymmetric tread with rigid tread blocks facing out to improve cornering. Multi-wave sipes help to decrease tread block movement under driving and braking conditions. This keeps the tread in contact with the road better on both wet-and-dry surfaces, resulting in improved overall handling, the company says.
The Versado LX fits 15- to 18-inch rim sizes in 70- to 45-Series. Widths range from 195 mm to 255 mm to fit cars such as Accord, Audi A8, BMW 7 Series, Cadillac DTS and STS, Chrysler 300, Infiniti Q45, Lexus ES350, Lincoln Towncar, Mercedes Benz and others.
