Hercules upgrades Terra-Trac all-terrain tire lines

FINDLAY, Ohio — When value-brand Hercules Tires set out to update its decade-old Terra Trac AT II all-season tire, its engineers realized they had to satisfy the demands of the growing CUV market as well consumers who drive heavier SUVs and light trucks.

"How do you create one tire that meets the needs of both vehicles?" Josh Simpson, Hercules senior vice president , said. "That's where we said, 'We're not going to try. We're going to come up with two different tires that can meet the needs of those two different consumers.'"

The end result was the Terra Trac AT X-Journey for CUVs and the Terra Trac AT X-Venture for SUVs and light trucks. The tires cover more than 80% of the all-terrain market, Hercules said, with 57 sizes between the two models covering 15- to 20-inch rim diameters.

"It made sense to have two separate styles with different profile shapes that really help to optimize the performance and give value to our customers," Hercules Senior Director Steven Liu said.

"Fortunately we were able to keep all the beloved performance attributes that our customers love about AT II, while enhancing some of the attributes where we can.

"We feel like we made a great tire even better."

Both tires carry the industry's three-peak mountain snowflake certification for severe snow service and both are backed by the Hercules Performance Promise, which offers 60,000-mile limited treadwear coverage, a 45-day "Trust Our Ride" test drive, road-hazard protection and a guarantee of workmanship and materials.

Each ATX model comes with two distinct sidewall designs, giving drivers the ability to customize the tires "in a cost-effective way," Hercules said.

"That's a first for Hercules," Mr. Liu said. "This is what the market is demanding right now and we feel like it's the perfect time for us."

Additional features, according to Hercules, include:

• 3D Sipes and silica tread compound work to provide exceptional responsive handling in wet weather conditions;
• Alternating shoulder scallops built into the shoulder design, allowing the tire to dig into tough terrains for increased traction;
• Tusk grooves designed to create the perfect void to rubber ratio and keep the tread clear of mud and dirt through the support of stone ejector ribs in the grooves for increased all-terrain traction; and
• Sound block technology, a system of design characteristics that collectively change the harmonics of the tire during on-road driving via tread block placement and sound barrier nodules in the outer shoulder for a quiet, comfortable ride.

Hercules declined to identify the tires' manufacturer but did say they will be produced at a few different plants in the U.S.and are available immediately to Hercules' 3,500 independent dealers. Hercules is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Tire Distributors Inc.

"At Hercules, we pride ourselves as an innovator and we want to be at the forefront of (market trends)," Mr. Liu said. "We don't want to be first, but at the same time, this market has matured and it's ready for brands such as Hercules to come in and be a strong player. That's why we're here."