NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Hankook Tire America Corp. is upgrading its truck/bus tire portfolio with the launch of the SmartFlex DL15+ traction/drive tire for regional and long-haul fitments.
The new tire, which replaces the DL15 in Hankook's truck/bus tire portfolio, was designed using the tire maker's Smartec TBR technology, which draws on five performance features — safety, mileage, anti chip-cut, retreadability and traction, Hankook said.
The SmartWay-approved tire features a number of new tread design engineered to enhance overall traction and increase fuel efficiency for regional and long-haul applications. It launches in one size, 295/75R22.5, with 11R22.5 and 11R24.5 sizes being planned before year-end.
The DL15+ features an optimized bead profile along with a carcass structure to minimize tire deformation and improve overall energy dispersion when under heavy loads, Hankook said. Combined with a newly formulated belt structure, the tire reduces heat generation for greater durability and extended casing life for retreading.
"In today's landscape, having products engineered to improve rolling resistance and lower overall cost-per-mile for owners and independent operators is especially important in helping that next fill-up go further," Hankook Tire America President Rob Williams said.
The tire's tread includes three-dimensional self-regeneration sipes that appear at the tire's mid and latter-life stages to improve worn-tread traction performance and reinforce interlocking components between blocks until end of wear.
Additional design elements include a combined rib and semi-block pattern to provide added stability and handling, along with fuel efficiency, further enhanced through a wide closed shoulder pattern at the tire's edges, allowing for smoother wear throughout its lifecycle.
Hankook claims the SmartFlex DL15+ delivers a 12-point decrease in its rolling resistance coefficient compared with its predecessor, which helped in securing SmartWay certification.
Hankook is offering its standard TBR warranty terms on the new product, including a second-retread guarantee withing six years of the date of manufacture. The products are manufactured at Hankook factories in South Korea.
Hankook did not disclose pricing information. Additional information at hankooktire.com/us.
