Hankook Tire Debuts New SmartFlex DL15+ TBR Product

Leading global tire maker Hankook Tire today announces a new addition to its expanding Truck, Bus & Radial (TBR) product line with the SmartFlex DL15+ tire. The SmartWay-approved tire features several new tread design features to enhance overall traction performance and increase fuel efficiency for regional and long-haul fitments.

At its core, the enhanced SmartFlex DL15+ product comes equipped with an optimized bead profile along with a carcass structure to minimize tire deformation and improve overall energy dispersion when under heavy loads. Combined with a newly formulated belt structure, the tire reduces heat generation for greater durability and extended casing life for retreading.

« At Hankook, we’re always looking for new and innovative ways to better support our nation’s truckers with products that have proven to go the distance and outperform industry standards, especially regarding fuel efficiency, » said Rob Williams, President of Hankook Tire America Corp. « In today’s landscape, having products engineered to improve rolling resistance and lower overall cost-per-mile for owners and independent operators is especially important in helping that next fill-up go further. »

The tire is developed using Hankook’s Smartec TBR technology, which is based on five main performance features: Safety, Mileage, Anti chip-cut, Retreadability and Traction. This process enables new tire tread technologies to be discovered and introduced through the DL15+ product. Most notably, the tire’s 3-dimensional and self-regeneration sipes that turn out at mid and latter stages greatly improve traction performance and reinforce interlocking components between blocks until end of wear. Additional design elements include a combined rib and semi-block pattern to provide added stability and handling, along with fuel efficiency, further enhanced through a wide closed shoulder pattern at the tire’s edges, allowing for smoother wear throughout its lifecycle. As a result, the SmartFlex DL15+ touts a 12-point increase in its rolling resistance coefficient compared to its predecessor, as well as securing SmartWay certification. Such approval represents a significant commitment to provide products that are sustainably developed and support the freight industry in the cleanest, most energy-efficient ways possible.

Source: Hankook Tire