Hankook explains how, with so many truck and bus tyres on the market, a mechanic should decide which to fit for which application.
Whilst it is obviously a requirement to select truck and trailer tyres of the appropriate size for their trucks and trailers and the loads that they carry, what about the role of the environment in which it is to be used?
Trucks working on regional routes with many delivery points will benefit from more fuel-efficient tyre, whilst those on long haul should offer high mileage. Good tyre choices enable fleet managers to reduce costs, lengthen tyre lifespan and minimise environmental impact.
Hankook says it offers a range of tyres to suit every application.
Eco-Friendly
The e-cube MAX series has been developed with a special focus on sustainability and efficiency in long-distance transport. As ecology and economy become an ever more decisive factor for purchase decision-making in the truck sector, Hankook says it has developed a tyre concept for commercial vehicles which offers maximum efficiency, energy efficiency and environmental friendliness.
The series consists of the e-cube MAX AL10+ for the steering axle, e-cube MAX DL10+ for the drive axle and the matching trailer tyre e-cube MAX TL10+. Special technology on the e-cube MAX AL10+ is said to effectively reduce fuel consumption and helps to increase the tyre life. It also claims to ensure a stabilised footprint shape for better steering and rolling characteristics as well as an improved retreadability.
For a consistently high traction performance even in the later stages of wear, the drive axle tyre of the ecube MAX DL10+ comes with a newly developed 3D kerf solution which is said to result in a particularly even wear pattern, allow for further mileage increase and add to the tyres economic efficiency.
To reduce energy loss through heat development while driving and a notably increased mileage, the series is engineered with a low rolling resistance tread compound and the refined tread designs are tailored specifically for the respective axle positions and help to reduce fuel consumption even further without causing mileage or performance restraints.
Performance
Hankook’s SmartFlex All-Season range of truck tyres are able to deal with various weather-related road conditions throughout the year. The line-up has been designed for medium to long haul purposes, offering exceptionally strong traction and support fuel-efficient driving.
Thanks to the M+S marking and the 3-PMSF snowflake symbol the tyres, SmartFlex AH31, SmartFlex DH31, SmartFlexAH35 and SmartFlex DH35 are said to be optimally equipped for all winter weather conditions, like slush, ice and snow, without neglecting the summer properties so can be fitted all year round.
The stiffness of the tread blocks promote exceptionally fuel-efficient operation. The special tread design also supports even tyre wearout thereby sustainably reducing the total cost of ownership for fleet operators and freight companies in terms of service life.
Comfort
The new SmartTouring AL22 is a coach tyre for long-distance travel in the European market. Recently developed to satisfy the increasing demand for hightechnology coach tyres, this tyre can be used on all axle positions and provides maximum ride and rolling comfort, excellent concentricity, a very low rolling noise and, as is customary with Hankook tyres, optimised rolling resistance and low wear for particularly efficient travel.
Safety
The stop-and-go business of city traffic puts a heavy and irregular load on bus tyres so they must be able to withstand a heavy load and guarantee safe and efficient use at the same time. The new all-season SmartCity AU04+ offers improved tread ensuring as low and as even wear as possible.
The innovative tread compound and new tyre structure guarantee high safety and make for efficient and eco-friendly use in city traffic. And the reinforced sidewall protects the tyre from damage following contact with kerbstones.
The deep sidewall indicator on the SmartCity AU04+ makes it easier to determine the tyre condition and thus supports timely damage prevention.
Additional safety comes in the form of impressive brake distance values; particularly standing out through its excellent behaviour in wet road conditions.
