Hankook Tire America Corp. used its 2024 Partner’s Day event in Riviera Maya, Mexico, as the backdrop to launch its newest tire, the Kinergy XP.
“All-season tires need to perform reliably in a variety of weather and road conditions,” Rob Williams, president, Hankook Tire America Corp., told representatives from more than 50 tire dealerships and distributors in attendance.
“Our latest all-season grand touring tire, Kinergy XP is designed to do just that, with improved wet and snow braking performance. In addition to these handling enhancements, drivers can look forward to enjoying a more comfortable and quieter ride with longer tread life that we’re backing with a 75,000-mile warranty.”
The Kinergy XP is the first grand touring tire in the company’s Kinergy line-up, which is designed for compact, medium, large and high-performance SUVs, as well as sedans. The Kinergy XP is now available in 41 sizes, fitting wheels ranging from 16 inches to 20 inches in diameter, with aspect ratios from 60 to 40, along with additional sizes to be introduced later.
The tire carries a UTQG rating of 720/A/A in H- and V- speed ratings. Hankook says fitments will offer market coverage of 84%. The Kinergy XP also comes with a road hazard warranty and a 30-day-free trial. It will be produced in the company’s Clarksville, Tenn., factory, as well as in South Korea.
The Kinergy XP is replacing the Hankook Kinergy GT. It will fit into Hankook’s product mix of other Kinergy tires, such as the all-weather Kinergy 4S2, the premium touring all-season Kinergy PT for passenger and crossover vehicles and the standard all-weather touring Kinergy ST.
Robert Nasca, manager of training with Hankook’s North America Sales Innovation Team, said the Kinergy XP is engineered to perform year-round in most weather conditions, including rain and light snow, while maximizing cabin comfort and longevity of the tire.
Other Kinergy XP features include:
- * A new all-season performance compound with advanced silica, which improves wet handling by 6% and wet braking by 2% compared to the Kinergy GT;
- * Outstanding performance on snowy roads thanks to increased sipe density, 3D sipes and other components that improve snow acceleration by 15% and snow braking by 14%, compared to the Kinergy GT;
- * Tread life that lasts up to 20% longer than the Kinergy GT, thanks to Hankook’s Corvex Tread Radius Technology, which provides even tread wear, high flexible materials to maintain flexibility and an optimized footprint, and;
- * A reduction in cabin noise of up to 5% compared to major competitors, as a result of knurling technology, expanding shoulder grooves and optimized multi-pitch sequencing to reduce tread pattern noise.
In addition to the Kinergy XP launch, Hankook announced plans to introduce new truck tires during 2024, along with the company’s outlook on the market and its marketing efforts to grow its business. Watch moderntiredealer.com for a follow-up article on this shortly.
