Hankook Tire America Corp. has added to its commercial truck and bus product line with the SmartFlex DL15+ tire. The SmartWay-approved tire boasts several new tread design features to enhance overall traction performance and increase fuel efficiency for regional and long-haul fitments.
According to Hankook officials, the SmartFlex DL15+ comes equipped with a bead profile along with a carcass structure to “minimize tire deformation and improve overall energy dispersion when under heavy loads.”
The SmartFlex DL15+ also offers a 12-point increase in its rolling resistance coefficient compared to its predecessor.
“At Hankook, we’re always looking for new and innovative ways to better support our nation’s truckers with products that have proven to go the distance and outperform industry standards, especially regarding fuel efficiency,” says Rob Williams, president of Hankook Tire America Corp.
“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.”
The tire was developed using Hankook’s Smartec TBR technology, which is based on five main performance features - safety, mileage, anti-chip and cut, retreadability and traction.
The tire’s three-dimensional and self-regeneration sipes that turn out at mid and latter stages improve traction performance and reinforce interlocking components between blocks until the end of wear.
Additional design elements include a combined rib and semi-block pattern to provide added stability and handling; a wide closed shoulder pattern at the tire’s edges, allowing for smoother wear throughout its lifecycle; and more.
