Page 16 - CTB N16 - 2016-04

IAA REVIEW
CommercialTyre
Management
and Fleet Business
The Hankook SmartTouring AL22 has been developed for long distance travel in the European market
Hankook’s stand at the IAA was the focal point for a number of new products.
e-Cube Blue TL20
Hankook SmartTouring AL22
Hankook Presents Ultra Fuel-Efficient e-cube Blue Tyre family
Stiffness Control Contour Theory (SCCT) design technology provides an even distribution of pressure inside the tyre and gives more
stability, allowing for high carcass durability and offering customers very good retreadability and economy.
Hankook has expanded its ultra- efficient and fuel-saving e-cube Blue trailer tyre line with special steering and drive axle treads. The company exhibited a complete solution for long-haul traffic with A-label marking for rolling resistance on all axle positions for the first time at the 66th IAA Commercial Vehicle Show. The new e-cube Blue line enables fleet customers to profit from an additional eight percent tyre related fuel efficiency and provides up to 55
groove design gives extra support for each tread block side, whilst simultaneously delivering straight stability and good steering responsiveness. The closed tread design in the shoulder rib guarantees uniform tyre wear.
The tread appearance of the e-cube Blue DL20 steering axle tyres is characterised by a central 4-block design of the massive central rib. The offset arrangement of the individual tread blocks guarantees interlocking
Hankook Completes Development of SmartTouring Range
percent more durability (less irregular wear, higher mileage) compared with current products. The tread design, tailored for each axle position, also aids a reduction in fuel consumption and increases mileage without affecting dynamic characteristics like braking and traction performance.
Both central rib tread blocks of the e-
action on both sides and results in mutual support for decent traction performance. In addition, the horizontally arranged semi-deep extra sipes in combination with tie bars in the open shoulder block area further promote traction.
Furthermore, the extra-wide contour of the e-cube Blue TL20 trailer tyres supports high driving stability and optimises wear resistance. The multi- sipes added in the central rib area prevent uneven wear without affecting tread rib stability and in combination with the closed 4- groove tread design it ensures lateral stability and low rolling noise. Common to all three e-cube Blue products is the newly developed tread compound with highly structured carbon black molecules for high fuel efficiency. The complete e-cube Blue tyre family comprises all basic technologies of the Hankook e- cube product group, using amongst others Hankook's mixture process IMS (Innovative Mixing System), resulting in an even distribution of carbon black and rubber molecules. Together with longer mixing times at lower temperatures, this increases the bonding rate between the carbon black and rubber molecules, delivering e-cube tyres that produce less heat. The patented Hankook
Hankook is launching a new coach tyre for long-distance travel in the European market due to the growing significance of long-distance coach travel and the increasing demand for high-technology coach tyres. The new Hankook SmartTouring AL22 can be used on all axle positions and provides maximum ride and rolling comfort, excellent concentricity, a very low rolling noise, optimised rolling resistance and low wear for particularly efficient travel.
Presented at this year's IAA for Commercial Vehicles, the Hankook SmartTouring AL22 will be available in the sizes 295/80R22.5 and 315/80R22.5 from market launch and is suitable for all long-distance coach wheels. Klaus Krause, Vice President and Head of the European Development Centre in Hanover adds: “During development of the SmartTyre line, we focused particularly on ride and rolling comfort as well as on a straight driving performance. The characteristics of the SmartTouring AL22 not only allow maximum travel comfort for passengers, they also maximise driving and handling comfort for the driver on long- distance trips.”
The carcass contour of the SmartTouring AL22 ensures good suspension properties and contributes to a particularly safe driving style. The longitudinal 5-rib profile with its closed, solid central rib allows for good straight driving performance. Special Multi-3D sipes guarantee both good traction and enhanced braking responsiveness. The bead area of the SmartTouring AL22 has been developed to deliver improved retreadability. In addition,
its new contour achieves a particularly precise rim joint stiffness, resulting in concentricity and travel comfort. The individual belt layers of the new SmartTouring AL22 are structurally arranged so that less heat is developed in operation compared to conventional tyres. This effect not only reduces rolling resistance, thus economising on fuel, it also extends the service life of the tyre.
Fuel savings through reduced heat development have been achieved not only by the belt structure, but also by the tread compound used for the Hankook SmartTouring AL22. Special soot molecules with a larger volume and a particularly stable structure are used for the basic tread rubber, leading to a reduction in energy loss during movement. These highly structured carbon molecules also guarantee enhanced abrasion resistance and, in combination with the other technologies, help to increase the mileage of the SmartTouring AL22 compared with conventional products by more than 17 percent.
cube Blue AL20 steering axle tyres support each other through their interlocking design. This improves tread block rigidity and limits rolling resistance. The stepped main tread
16 Commercial Tyre Business