Omni taking safety to next level with bulletproof tires

Most of the time, those who need help or support approach you, whether in person, online or through the mail.

But in some cases, there's that incident in our lives — maybe a death of a loved one or a natural disaster here or abroad — that motivates us to support a cause that has a special meaning or purpose.

The tire industry is brimming with those special kinds of people and companies, both big and small, that identify a cause or societal issue and do everything within their means to support it.

This is a story of one of them.

Last month, tire brand owner Omni United (Pte.) Ltd. held an event in South Africa — called Mission Africa Terrain — to unveil a pair of tires, including the Renegade AT Sport, a next-generation all-terrain tire designed specifically for South Africa.

Standard fare so far.

The other product — a line of Radar Dimax Sport and Radar Dimax Sprint tires with run-flat technology — however, was designed with a distinct purpose: Keep consumers safe in a region that is anything but.

By most metrics, South Africa is one the most dangerous countries in the world, if not the most dangerous.

According to the latest figures from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the country has one of the highest murder rates in the world. In 2023, more than 27,000 murders were recorded, amounting to 45 murders per 100,000 people.

By comparison, the U.S. rate is six murders per 100,000. The only cities in the U.S. that compare, based on 2023 statistics, are New Orleans (53.8 murders per 100,000 people); St. Louis (53.7); Detroit (40.9); and Washington, D.C. (40.5). All other cities are 30 per 100,000 or below.

One reason for the crime is unemployment. According to news reports, South Africa has the world's highest unemployment rate, at about 32% in the last quarter of 2023, while youth unemployment tops 40%.

In the U.S., the unemployment rate is 4.3%.

On a visit to South Africa, where his company has been selling tires for a dozen years, Omni United President and CEO GS Sareen witnessed the level of insecurity people live in — and consider normal — because of the elevated crime rate. He believed his company needed to address it "because it was the right thing to do."

"When you get a chance to save lives," Sareen told Tire Business, "and you have the means to do it, you do it."

Developing the run-flats had its share of challenges.

The idea initially was to develop a "'quasi" run-flat that can be driven 25 miles — as opposed to the standard 50 miles, at 50 miles per hour — so a driver with a compromised tire can reach safety.

That idea, he said, didn't succeed, mainly because most vehicles in the country have small diameter tires.

Run-flats are heavier and are made with more rubber, he said, and thus they cost roughly 25% more to produce.

"It's pure mathematics," Sareen said. "You put more rubber into a tire, it costs more."

He didn't want the price to become an impediment for the South African consumer. So his company is subsidizing the seven SUV run-flat sizes, so they will be sold at the same price as conventional products, once they are available in the first quarter of 2025.

"We are ensuring that safety isn't a luxury but a standard — one that is affordable and within reach for all drivers," Sareen said. "This initiative isn't just about tires; it's about empowering the community, providing peace of mind and reinforcing our dedication to making a tangible difference in the lives of South African drivers."

Why, then, would a consumer elect to purchase a conventional tire, if he or she could purchase a run-flat for the same money?

The choice, Sareen said, is between a comfortable ride on a conventional tire compared with a rough, stiffer ride on a run-flat, especially on a vehicle with smaller tires.

"We'll see how it works out," Sareen said. "I don't know which way the wind will blow, but it's worth a shot."

And more help for the country's drivers is on the way — Omni United is developing a bulletproof tire range.

Ballistics testing is being conducted in the United Kingdom. Omni plans to introduce a lineup of bulletproof Renegade light truck and 4x4 tires, branded as Renegade Ultra, by early 2025.

Sareen called the bulletproof technology "a little more challenging to produce and to market economically."

Bulletproof tires, an essential part of armored vehicles, sell for between $800 and $6,000 each.

"It's not sexy," he said, "but it does make a difference. Why not make it accessible for someone who doesn't have premium dollars?"

Omni will test the market and determine whether or not the technology actually helps people.

"We will find out soon if it does make a difference," Sareen said.

Both products are part of Project Safedrive, which Omni United said reflects Radar's commitment to driver safety "through advanced yet affordable tire technology ... designed to provide protection in both every day and high-risk situations."

Sareen said dealers in the region did not request these products, but they loved them nonetheless.

"People get so busy in their lives that just survival and making money becomes the occupation for most," he said. "They have no time to think about the solution. They take the problems as a part of life."

As a practicing Sikh — the religion advocates equality, social justice, service to humanity and tolerance for other religions, while practicing generosity in everyday life — Sareen said he was raised with "a very clear doctrine of giving away a part of what you have to the less fortunate. As a result we are always looking for possibilities where we can help or make a difference, Wherever we earn, we try to do something there."

For the last 13 years, Omni United's Radar brand has supported the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), an organization he said is "U.S.-centric."

"That stems from the simple fact that if we earn from the U.S., it is our duty to do what we can to give back to the U.S.," Sareen said. "When there was an earthquake in Turkey or a hurricane in Philippines or fires in Australia, we always did what we could."

Sareen said Omni United donated every cent it made selling tires in Turkey — and more — to organizations such as the Red Cross to help the country after a devastating 6.4-magnitude earthquake there in February 2023.

Sareen and countless other tire dealers and manufacturers don't promote each and every charitable act they undertake.

They do it because it's the right thing to do.

"When you're in the tire business and you have a chance to save some lives," Sareen said, "you do it."

And if Omni United's run-flats or its bulletproof technology save just one South African life, it's an endeavor worth undertaking.