DETROIT — General Motors Co.'s Chevrolet Division has selected a trio of Hankook-brand tires as OE fitments on multiple trim levels of the 2021 Chevy Trailblazer compact crossover.
The new fitments — the all-season tire Kinergy and Kinergy GT and Dynapro AT2 — continue Hankook Tire America Inc.'s 18-year-long OE business relationship with General Motors, according to Hankook Tire America Corp.
The Trailblazer is four-door compact SUV, powered by either a 1.2- or 1.3-liter turbocharged inline 4-cylinder engine, delivering up to 155 hp and matched with a continuously variable transmission though a nine-speed automatic transmission. The 1.3-liter version is available with all-wheel drive.
The Trailblazer is assembled in South Korea.
The specific fitments are:
- Kinergy GT, size 225/55R18H, on the Trailblazer RS;
- Dynapro AT2, size 225/60R17H, on the ACTIV trim level; and
- Kinergy, size 215/65R16H, on the base model.
Robert Wheeler, head of the Hankook Tire America Technical Center, said Hankook's designers and engineers — using the company's "virtual perforamcne prediction capabilities" — teamed with GM to develop tires that match the Trailblazer's range of driving needs.
The Kinergy GT combines a high-grip silica tread compound with a tread with a wide lateral groove for effective water evacuation, a rigid center rib for dry performance and "optimized" lateral grooves for winter traction.
Hankook has been supplying GM with OE since 2002. The supply arrangement today covers a number of Buick, Chevrolet and GMC models.