Hankook Tire unveiled its SmartLine AL52 and SmartLine DL52 truck bus and radial (TBR) tires as part of the 2024 Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) showcase hosted by the American Trucking Association (ATA) in New Orleans from March 4-7. In addition to its latest TBR products, Hankook Tire showcased its tire-mounted sensor technology (TMS) and Fleet Management Solution (FMS) designed for commercial vehicle operators. Related Articles - Ironman Tires launches All Country MT-X mud-terrain tire - Hankook Tire reveals positioning strategy behind the new Weatherflex GT all-weather tire - Pirelli North America launches the Scorpion XTM off-road tire line
“It’s always an exciting moment when you can welcome two new TBR products at one of the trucking industry’s premier technical conferences,” Haesik Lee, TB marketing director of Hankook Tire America said. “Our SmartLine AL52 and SmartLine DL52 provide long-haul solutions that are more economical and sustainably minded and improve on critical performance categories to help our nation’s truckers go further.” tubeless motorcycle tires on tube rims
Designed for long-haul fitments, Hankook said both the SmartLine AL52 and SmartLine DL52 include its latest TBR innovations, including hidden groove technology, which adjusts tread patterns as the tire wears. Hankook said this tech has resulted in a 4-6% reduction in the tire’s rolling resistance coefficient (RRC) compared to previous models.
Additionally at TMC, Hankook said its TMS and FMS offerings showcased how such sensors enable remote monitoring of tire pressure, temperature, and wear, facilitating predictive maintenance and cost-effective fleet management.
Attendees also saw Hankook Tire’s spiral-coil technology, a belt reinforcement method applied to Hankook Tire’s USS (Ultra Super Single) specification. Through this physical sample, visitors were able to observe the layered belt structure wound in the direction of travel. Hankook said this technology improves the tire’s contact area with the road surface.
The new Yokohama Off-Highway tire has layered tread blocks that offer more biting edges and an extra-dense centerline for road performance.
Yokohama Off-Highway Tires America (Yokohama OHT) said the new Alliance Agriflex+ 373 radial from brings ultra-flexible VF sidewall technology and high-performance hybrid tread mixed with layered tread blocks that offer more biting edges and an extra-dense centerline for better road performance.
"For more than 100 years, the curved bar lug has been the shape of agricultural tires, but today's farm machinery has a very different life than tractors 100 years ago," said James Crouch, national segment manager—agriculture and forestry for Yokohama OHT, which manufactures the Alliance brand. "Today's tractors and sprayers deliver more torque and spend more time on gravel and pavement than Grandpa's tractor ever did. That's why we need more than Grandpa's tires."
The TBR line includes eight products, which the company said offer performance and durability for U.S. and Canadian trucking professionals.
Bridgestone said the HT3 tire is designed for heavy-duty trucks, while the CV2 tire is for last-mile delivery vans.
Ironman is adding the I-31M, I-42W, I-28D, and I-52A to its I-Series Gen 2 portfolio, joining the I-19A, I-37D, I-48T, and I-61S.
The Comtrac Cargo A/S is engineered to provide traction and stability in all weather, especially in urban areas.
According to Hankook, the new Season 11 tire delivers higher peak performance compared to its predecessor.
The tread pattern features V-shaped grooves and 3D sipes that contribute to snow performance and a center rib for dry road stability.
Yokohama Rubber said it’s developing more tires with its BluEarth tire technology, which now come factory-equipped on a variety of vehicles.
From new tire lines to tire changing equipment to training services, there was so much to see and talk about this year.
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