Sailun Tire Americas continues to expand its RoadX brand with the release of the RoadX RXQuest R/T, available through the Independent Tire Dealers Group LLC (ITDG) and Kal Tire.
The tire was highlighted at a recent ride- and-drive event in Horseshoe Bay, Texas.
Chris Barry, vice president of sales for ITDG, says ITDG asked its members what was missing or what they needed in the market.
“Our members came back and about 75% said there was a need for a rugged terrain (R/T) tire,” says Barry, who adds that Sailun and ITDG began their RoadX brand partnership around four years ago.
“We know we can grow with Sailun, as we want to grow with them,” continues Barry. “We don’t see a ceiling with them.”
RXQuest R/T
The RoadX RXQuest R/T is crafted for trucks and SUVs and has on- and off-road capabilities.
The tire features an aggressive and robust construction, deep tread depths of 16/32 and 18/32 and is made with abrasion-resistant rubber.
Achieving an aggressive look was part of the driving force behind the need for the tire.
“We start with a tire that looks the part,” says Wayne Cuculuzzi, vice president of products and product development for Sailun.
“By that, I mean a consumer walks into the showroom and finds the tire appealing in both tread design and sidewall. From that aesthetic point of view, the factory takes that and engineers the tire, so it works properly and still has that aesthetic.”
Another big feature of the tire is 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake certification.
“This is one of the biggest features for our northern U.S. and Canadian customers,” says Jamie McIntyre, Sailun’s senior vice president of sales, Canada, and product development, North America
The tire also features staggered shoulder blocks to supply upgraded traction, an optimized tire casing with enhanced sidewall biters and a 45,000-mile limited tread life warranty.
Similar to ITDG, Sailun looked at the market to see where needs were and found that customers want more R/T tires. (The company recently held a ride-and-drive event for another new rugged-terrain light truck tire, the Ridgecrawler R/T.)
According to Cuculuzzi, the R/T segment is the quickest-growing light truck segment.
“I think you are seeing an evolution of the off-road market,” says McIntyre.
“A lot of people only used to run mud-terrains (M/T) because that was the only option. Now, people need something not completely dedicated to the trail, but something that can be driven on the highway and is aggressive.”
Cuculuzzi says that most R/T, M/T and all-terrain (A/T) tires never see a gravel road, let alone go “off-road.”
“Consumers (like) how rough and aggressive the M/T tires look, but now the R/T gives them a lot more” in terms of “road manners."
RoadX Line
McIntyre says that Sailun is not done with the RoadX line. A few new RoadX brand products are launching in the next six months.
“There’s one happening very soon: the ultra high-performance all-season tire and following that, the all-weather tire,” says McIntyre.
Cuculuzzi also says that a RoadX M/T tire is “in the works,” but is really in the beginning stages.
“If we see a need in the market for an M/T tire, our team will be ready to go to put one out into the market,” he says.
Sailun hopes to have a “full line” under the RoadX brand within the next six months to a year.
Feedback on the tire
“A great thing about this R/T tire for our customers is how aggressive it is,” Jason Rook, president and CEO of ITDG, told MTD during the ride-and-drive event.
“The RoadX RXQuest R/T really straddles the line of R/T and M/T tires, which helps as the M/T market dwindles.”
Rook and Barry told MTD that ITDG members appreciate having an exclusive line of tires from Sailun.
“Our members benefit because they can go to market with something that is their own and they don’t have to compete with someone down the street (who’s) selling this tire,” says Rook.
“And Sailun is great because they work with us to control distribution. That’s the main thing. It gives our customers a high-value tire to sell, while still letting their customers buy the tire at a value price point.”
According to McIntyre, this is what Sailun wants to be known for.
“We say we are a solutions provider,” says McIntyre. “There was a need ... for a solution (in) the R/T tire market and ITDG had a demand for a high-quality tire at our price point.”
