QINGDAO, China (Dec. 9, 2016) — China's Qingdao Doublestar Tire Co. Ltd. has launched an aramid-fiber-reinforced, puncture-sealing consumer tire under the brand "Crossleader" that it's calling a "safe tire."
The company said the tire's been in development for two years. It uses "military grade" short-cut aramid fiber in the sidewalls for high impact resistance, and employs nano technology that enables the tire to repair punctures during running.
Doublestar said the reinforced sidewalls boost the tire's puncture resistance by 50 percent, allowing it to withstand an impact at up to 62 mph.
The tire's sidewalls feature a "shield-shaped pattern" that increases the sidewall thickness slightly, thus making the steel cord less likely to break and reducing bulge and blowout by 80 percent, the company claims.
The safe tire includes most passenger car tire models and will be expanded to cover truck and bus as well as off-the-road tires. New tires are manufactured at Doublestar's smart plant in Qingdao.
The company did not say whether it plans to sell the product internationally.
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Patrick Raleigh is editor of European Rubber Journal, a United Kingdom-based sister publication of Tire Buisness.