American Tire Distributors Inc. (ATD) spotlighted its Hercules brand during the 2023 SEMA Show with two new tires.
The Hercules Roadtour Connect AS is a touring all-season tire replacing the Hercules Roadtour Connect 455 and 455 Sport.
“People are looking for more and more of an all-season tire, rather than a snow tire,” says Nakia Medlin, director of marketing, proprietary brands for ATD.
“It is our true value-line for someone looking for Hercules products that have our two-year, 50% road hazard (warranty), but is really looking for that entry-level value tire.”
The 455 had about a seven-to-eight-year lifespan so “it was time to make that upgrade,” according to Medlin.
The Terra Trac Cross-V AW is an all-weather tire with 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake (PMS) certification, which was a result of dealers voicing their needs for a 3PMS tire.
It replaces the Terra Trac Cross-V, which is one of the highest-selling Hercules tires, says Medlin.
“So, we wanted to keep up with that momentum and those features people like, so it has all the features of that (Terra Trac Cross-V) tire, but with the 3PMS certification.”
The tire is for CUVs, SUVs and light trucks and comes in new 19-, 20- to 21-inch sizes.
Medlin says with the 3PMS certification, the Cross-V AW is saving consumers money by not forcing them to put traditional winter tires on their vehicles when it snows.
“When people think of Hercules brands, the Terra Trac is synonymous with light truck and crossover tires and the Roadtour brand is synonymous with touring or
Hercules officials are also expanding its TIS brand to offer a new R/T (rugged terrain) tire that will be a mix of traditional mud tires and all-terrain tires.
“We hear about more and more R/T tires coming into the market, so we wanted to make sure we were in that market, as well, which is why we focused on creating an R/T tire,” says Medlin.
The tire will come out in 2024 and Hercules will provide more information about it soon.
