LAS VEGAS (Nov. 6, 2014) – Continental Tire the Americas, Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. and Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc. were new product award winners in the tire and related products category at this year's Specialty Equipment Market Association Show in Las Vegas, while Tire Profiles Inc. took top honors in the Tools & Equipment category.
Conti's all-season TrueContact performance touring tire was voted the best new tire product by the SEMA committee. Launched earlier this year, the TrueContact combines industry-leading wet braking performance with Conti's “EcoPlus” technology for reduced rolling resistance, the tire maker said at the tire's launch.
The tire is available in sizes ranging from 15- to 19-inch rim diameters and comes with a 60-day trial and up to a 90,000-mile limited tread-life warranty and a 72-month manufacturer's limited warranty program.
Cooper's all-season Discoverer SRX sport utility tire and Nitto's EXO Grappler AWT light truck tire earned runner-up honors.
The M+S-rated SRX is available in three 17-, one 18-, one 20- and one 22-inch sizes for a range of SUVs and CUVs. Cooper offers a 65,000-mile treadwear protection and a 45-day road test on the SRX.
Nitto's Exo Grappler AWT tire designed to provide consistent traction on dirt trails, gravel and farmland, with a comfortable ride. The tire features a chip-resistant all-weather compound, three-ply sidewall construction, large, thick sidewall lugs, puncture resistance and a Three Peak Mountain Snowflake winter tire rating, the company said.
Chicago-based Tire Profiles won for its “Groove Glove” laser-powered tread depth and alignment measurement instrument that fits in the palm of the user's hand. Designed for service centers and tire retailers, the Groove Glove allows technicians to complete a vehicle scan anywhere in the service facility, Tire Profiles said.
The Groove Glove features lasers that measure more than 400 points across the tire, which are then read by Tire Profiles' cloud-based software to compute the tread wear, calculate the tread depth and determine if the wear indicates an alignment is needed. This is the same software used by the Tire Profiles -TreadSpec drive-over alignment-measuring products.
The Groove Glove also features an integrated touch-screen display for a clear user interface, a bar code scanner for vehicle IDs, and a camera for license plate recognition.