Hercules builds on success of new A/T tires

MOAB, Utah — Hercules Tires wants independent tire dealers to know Hercules is the only brand they'll ever need. The brand sells exclusively to independent tire dealers and aims to be a one-stop shop for every segment.

The brand, owned by American Tire Distributors Inc. (ATD) since 2014, offers dealers nearly 400 passenger and light truck SKUs, including 70 touring, 53 high-performance, 189 CUV/SUV/LT and 81 winter fitments. The brand also sells commercial medium truck, OTR and industrial tires.

The company indicated recently it is exploring adding agriculture tires to its portfolio.

Hercules recently offered a group of randomly selected Hercules dealers a first-hand experience with the Terra Trac off-road line, taking them on a tour of the Martian-looking landscape around Moab, Utah, on trails called "Devil's Gate" and "Spider's Venom."

The newest products in the off-road portfolio — a pair of all-terrain (A/T) tires — are all about choices, Steven Liu, Hercules director of proprietary brands, said during the Hercules Tires Moab Adventure, Oct. 7-10. He indicated he feels dealers wanted more options to help sell tires.

"On a consumer end, their driving behavior, their tastes have also changed and evolved," Mr. Liu said. "They want something more exciting; they want customization. So, we introduced two new tires, … and we added dual buttresses."

The all-terrain Terra Trac A/T X-Venture and X-Journey, which hit the North American market in July, offer slightly different rides, with the X-Journey being more highway friendly.

The sidewalls — or buttresses — on the tires have different looks.

One side features a more subdued, traditional all-terrain style, while the other sidewall has a more aggressive-looking design.

The tread also wraps onto the sidewall about 40% higher than on previous all-terrain tires.

Mr. Liu said the performance is the same no matter how the tire is mounted.

"This is more from an aesthetic point of view to give the user the choice — another talking point for the consumer," Mr. Liu told dealers during the Moab Adventure. "A lot of our competitors have done this, but we took it to another level."

Hercules said it decided to upgrade its all-terrain tire for several reasons: technology and compounding have improved drastically; customers are seeking new sizes; and the segment is very competitive. Plus, the Terra Trac A/T II had reached the end of its lifecycle.

The new products, the company said, needed to maintain the wet traction of the A/T II but enhance winter performance and cut-and-chip resistance and decrease noise.

"Not only did we have the same off-road performance and enhanced it, we were able to significantly decrease the noise level," Mr. Liu said.

The A/T Terra Trac X-Journey is aimed to capture a "crossover" market of SUV and CUV drivers. The tire features dual sidewall and shoulder designs; sawtooth edges; circumferential grooves; tuck grooves; alternating shoulder scallops; 3D sipes and silica tread compound; sound block technology and carries a three-peak mountain snowflake designation.

"This is a very good product for day-to-day driving. It will give you that comfort," Mr. Liu said. "But it allows customers to also be a weekend warrior."

The X-Venture is "bigger and badder" than the X-Journey, Mr. Liu said. The tire's features include enhanced profile shape and tread blocks; dual sidewall and shoulder designs; alternating shoulder scallops; tusk grooves; bevel-edge blocks; sound-block technology, and it carries the three-peak mountain snowflake designation.

"This has a more enhanced profile shape to give you that optimal off-road traction," he said.

Hercules said the tire sizes cover around 80% of market fitments, and the company is already discussing a size expansion.

Hercules, which sources tires from third-party manufacturers around the world, said the X-Venture and X-Journey are produced in the U.S.

The Hercules Terra Trac lineup also includes the most aggressive of the line, the M/T (mud terrain).

"It has really aggressive sidewall elements," Mr. Lui said. "This has been a very popular, very successful product."

The M/T is an all-season mud- terrain tire featuring aggressive open-shoulder design, deep siping to improve wet traction and high void-to-rubber ratio on the outside of the tire to deliver extreme off-road traction.

Hercules said a new M/T will hit the market next year.

The line also includes the Terra Trac T/G Max, a light truck tire designed for commercial applications.

The all-season commercial traction tire features "robust" silica-based compound, aggressive upper shoulder design, stone-ejector ribs and deep tread to ensure dependable traction and grip, the company said.

Mr. Liu said the idea for the tire, which has been on the market for several years, came from a group of tire dealers who said they liked the A/T II but needed something more purpose-built to use on construction sites. He said Hercules added more sizes last year because of demand.

"We've seen consumers will buy this and take it in the back country," he said. "Consumers love it, they can do anything from a commercial application standpoint, but they really like it for off-roading, too."

The company unveiled its first UTV tire — co-branded with TIS Offroad Wheels — at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas Nov. 2. Mr. Liu said the UTV tire market is booming and "timing couldn't be better for us."

The TIS UT1 has an aggressive, all-terrain tread pattern specifically designed for UTV and side-by-side vehicles, the company said. The eight-ply rated tire's void ration and "biting" edges on the tread blocks are designed for a variety of surfaces.

The TIS UT1 will launch in the six most common sizes in the first quarter 2022. The company noted the tire will be a "stocking item," in that the product will be stocked in all of the brand's distribution centers.

Josh Simpson, senior vice president of Hercules, said the TIS UT1 builds on the expansion strategy of the brand to be a one-stop shop for independent tire dealers.

"Not only are consumers continuing to look for a tire that will confidently match the performance of their vehicle regardless of the terrain, but more and more consumers want to customize their vehicles and require a tire that will compliment the look and personality of their vehicle as well," he said. "These tires provide the ability to create a custom user experience."

Collaborating with the off-road division of TIS Wheels on the tire's design helps Hercules set itself apart, the company said.

"We wanted to partner with a brand like TIS who is a marketing powerhouse that could help us develop a quality product and also combine marketing efforts that will create a buzz with consumers ultimately driving traffic to retail locations," Mr. Simpson said.

Hercules will launch a new mud-terrain tire in the third quarter of 2022. It will feature alternate sidewalls like the X-Venture and X-Journey and will also come in larger flotation sizes.

"This goes to the extreme end," Mr. Liu said. "It's going to be the most aggressive mud tire you're going to see."

The brand also plans to introduce a new all-season passenger tire in the third quarter of 2022. The company describes it as a "tire that's going to give you the best all-around performance."

While Hercules looks to expand its segment offerings further, the brand intends to remain faithful to offering a good value for independent dealers, spokespersons said.

"It's really an exciting time for us," Mr. Liu said.