A representative tire from each of the four lines was on display.
"One of the first things our customers told us when we bought the business is, 'Gosh, wouldn't it be great if you had truck tires," Turbo Tire CEO Phillip Kane told Tire Business. "And with my background and our interest in serving the needs of our dealers, we went to work on getting it done."
Kane formerly served as vice president, commercial truck, North America, for Goodyear, After leaving Goodyear, he worked as chief commercial officer for Pirelli S.p.A. in Milan, hired to help drive growth in Pirelli's truck tire business.
"This is a complete lineup with quality products at an affordable price point," said Kane, who joined Turbo in November, 2022, the same time private-equity firm Kingswood Capital Management L.P. made an investment of undisclosed value in the California tire wholesaler to help it expand business.
Company founder Sarkis Sepetjian and his family remain heavily involved in the business.
"We think our customers will be happy with this new lineup," Kane said.
The lineup of RBP medium commercial truck tires — currently available for dealers — each ends in the letters OR. It includes:
- The Deliveror, for long haul applications. This line includes the Deliveror S-FE, long haul steer; Deliveror D, long haul drive; Deliveror D-FE, fuel efficient long haul drive; and Deliveror T-FE, fuel efficient long haul trailer.
- The Expressor, for regional express hauling. The includes the Expressor S-FE, fuel efficient regional steer; Expressor D, regional drive; Expressor D-AQ, all-weather regional drive; and Expressor T, high scrub regional trailer.
- The Courior, regional 19.5-inch and 17.5-inch tires for couriers and local hauls. This line includes the Courior S, regional all-position; Courior D, regional drive; and Courior T, regional trailer.
- The Constructor, a mixed-service line for construction and other multi-surface applications. The line features the Constructor S, mixed service steer/all-position; Constructor A, mixed service/all position; and Constructor A-WB, mixed service/all position widebase.
The tires will be manufactured by Double Coin Holdings Ltd. at its plant in Thailand.
"It was important for us to partner with a quality manufacturer," Kane said. "They were the only manufacturer we wanted to do business with. We're confident these tires will provide durability, fuel efficiency and will perform well under any condition. We have a full lineup that our dealers can sell with confidence."
"With the economy the way it is, (the new line) offers quality at a great price," Todd Pickens, chief commercial officer for Turbo, said. "We think it's a great addition to the Rolling Big Power lineup."
It took a little more than a year for the portfolio to develop from concept to product. Kane and Pickens both said the project wouldn't have moved so quickly and efficiently if not for Bridney Jordan, who joined the company in April as product manager.
"She did a phenomenal job of keeping things on track and helping to oversee the line," Kane said.
The truck tire portfolio is part of Turbo's complete makeover of the RPB brand, an endeavor, Pickens said, that will be complete by the first part of 2025.
Turbo recently released the RBP Repulsor X/T RX — note the OR at the end of this line too — what the tire distributor calls an "extreme" rugged-terrain tire for light trucks, SUVs or CUVs. That tire was on display at the open house.
The tire offers "exceptional off-road performance, minimal road noise and wide tire grooves," Turbo said, that allows for better traction on any road surface, including rain, sleet, mud and snow.
Turbo will unveil an HT (highway terrain) tire in the RBP line later this year, likely at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
The revamped RBP lineup will feature seven lines: rugged terrain (RT) mud terrain (MT); extreme terrain (XT); all-terrain (AT); highway terrain (HT); specialty trailer (ST); and commercial van products.
In business since 1983, Turbo offers two other proprietary brands, Lexani and Lionheart, including run-flats and tires for electric vehicles.
Kane said dealers have provided positive feedback about Turbo's initiatives.
"They love the fact that now, with Rolling Big Power, they they have a complete truck line," he said. "They don't they don't have to come to us for MT, for example, and then go elsewhere for the rest of the lines. They can come to a Rolling Big Power for everything now, or we'll be able to. So they're pretty excited about that. And the tires look really, really good too."
