Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.'s new Dunlop SP384 steer tire completes its long-haul truck tire portfolio, which also includes the SP453 drive and SP181A trailer tires.
"This fills a void in our product lineup for a mid-priced steer tire,"
says Kelly Monthei, general manager of Graham Tire in Worthington, Minn. "Our customers have been real receptive to this new Dunlop steer tire."
According to Monthei, the store has pre-sold the new Dunlop tire to
owner-operators, such as farmers who are also part-time trucker drivers, and to small fleets. More than 200 tires already have been delivered, he adds.
"We feel this tire will allow us to grow in this price category," says Jeff Lecklider, president and owner of Gem City Tire in Sharonville, Ohio.
Larry Tucker, Goodyear's marketing manager for line-haul tires, says the SP384 has an 18/32-inch tread depth and is available in the following standard and low-profile Load Range G sizes: 11R22.5, 11R24.5, 295/75R22.5 and 285/75R24.5.
The five-rib steer tire, designed for for line-haul and regional trucking, is earmarked for dealer and select wholesale distribution. It features enhanced casing, tread design and pressure distribution groove technology to help lower cost-per-mile and add more miles to removal.
The tire's pressure distribution groove also helps eliminate shoulder
wear. Lateral grooves, along with "pin blades" -- serrations on the shoulder -- help enhance traction.
"We beefed up the tire casing (with) a four-belt package that features high-tensile steel on the lower three belts and a coated top belt to resist harmful moisture," says Tucker.
The retreadable tire is backed by a five-year casing, two-retread
maximum limited warranty. It also is supported by a special steer-tire-challenge package, which offers a free retread for new tires that fail to meet mileage requirements.
Goodyear manufactures the Dunlop SP384 steer tire in its Danville, Va., facility.