Cooper Tire has launched a new Long Haul Steer (LHS) tire as part of its Cooper Pro Series product line.
Designed from a clean sheet of paper, it features design elements to help ensure uniform wear and retreadability. Cooper’s ECO (Energy Conservation Optimization) technology, which combines tire design, compounding and construction, is said to provide an ultra-low rolling resistance tire that both exceeds SmartWay standard requirements and meets the EPA’s greenhouse gas emissions requirements set for 2021.
“This steer tire is the new flagship product for Cooper commercial tires,” said Gary Schroeder, executive director of Cooper’s global truck and bus tire business.
“We know the importance of this tire position, and it’s why we designed the tire to perform at a very high level – meeting the demanding needs of long haul fleets.”
The tire is said to have a wider footprint than most steer tires on the market – a full inch more in many cases. “This provides better traction while promoting longer, more even wear, and, it doesn’t sacrifice fuel economy in the process. When paired with our Pro Series LHD drive tire, that is also SmartWay verified, fleets can maximize fuel economy,” added Schroeder.
To ensure even wear of the whole tread, the tire has a decoupling groove, which is also designed to minimize shoulder wear. The tread also features a patent-pending stone ejector design with a stepped groove wall, which helps prevent stone drilling to ensure the integrity of the casing for multiple retreads. Furthermore, the tread incorporates a special four-belt steel design construction.
The Cooper Pro Series Long Haul Steer tire will initially be available in size 295/75 R22.5. Other sizes will be available in June.
