Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • European Rubber Journal
  • Plastics News
web
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • ITEC
    • Automotive
    • Tire
    • Non-Tire
    • Suppliers
    • Silicone
    • Latex
    • Coronavirus
    • Executive Action
    • Government/Legal
    • Opinion
    • Technical Notebooks
    • International Elastomer Show
    • Women in Tire & Rubber
    • HEXPOL Sponsored Content
    • Goodyear recognized by Lockheed Martin as 'elite supplier'
      EV tire advancements to help secure future
      Lambillotte: Only question on AVs is timing
      CAR official says EV future brighter than autonomous
    • Smithers webinars focus on performance materials in green tires
      Ford to close 3 plants, end production in Brazil, costing $4.1 billion
      Study: Vehicle buyers cling to familiarity amid pandemic
      Kumho launches commercial LT, performance tire lines
    • Smithers webinars focus on performance materials in green tires
      Ferentino Tyre opens Sri Lanka plant; eyes exports to U.S., Europe
      Kumho launches commercial LT, performance tire lines
      Taiwan tire makers propose settlement of import duties case
    • JobsOhio funding gives Sperry & Rice room to grow
      TRAC's Glenn Maidment caps 51-year rubber industry career
      LafargeHolcim looks to solidify U.S. presence with Firestone Building Products purchase
      Hankook Tire holding company adopts Hankook & Co. identity
    • Smithers webinars focus on performance materials in green tires
      Endurica earns prestigious Tibbetts Award from SBA
      Kuraray to raise elastomer prices again
      Synthomer optimistic, raises earnings forecast
    • Safic-Alcan extends distribution agreement with Momentive
      Momentive aims to grow silicone presence in Asia-Pacific region
      IRP Medical solidifies portfolio with KDL deal
      Rubber lab services firm Ace reports record year
    • ASTM cancels April meetings as COVID-19 continues impact
      Paycheck Protection Program funding reopens Jan. 15
      Detroit Auto Show canceled; alternative event being planned for September
      Top Glove reopens COVID-hit factories with enhanced precautions
    • Jack Murphy joins Akron Dispersions
      Adriano Alfani named Versalis CEO
      Maroon Group adds to Southeast sales team
      ASTM taps rubber executive as new board member
    • Paycheck Protection Program funding reopens Jan. 15
      Taiwan tire makers propose settlement of import duties case
      Lobbying group unveils policy agenda to speed transition to EVs
      NADA, bank group to assess political contributions after U.S. Capitol siege
    • Column: Pandemic looms over everything in life, business in 2020
      Column: Lessons from the 2020 Best Places to Work
      Editorial: Silicone hit hard by pandemic, expected to bounce back
      Column: Still far way from normal
    • Effects of multiple repurposed materials for reinforcements of standard rubber compounds
      Impact of peroxide blends on the cure rate and aged properties in HNBR
      Techniques to detect long chain branching in polymers
      A comparative study looking at effects of curing kinetics and batch variation on SBR injection molding and numerical analytics
    • WORD panelists say evolution, authenticity keys to success
      IEC keynote: Communication key to logistics
      IEC speaker: Specialized elastomers may reduce spread of life-threatening pathogens
      Rubber Division seeking abstracts for Spring Technical Meeting
    • WORD panelists say evolution, authenticity keys to success
      New video celebrates women in rubber industry
      ITEC panelists say women can thrive in tire industry
      Rubber Division planning second Women of Rubber event
    • Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Faster Access to Your Polymer Compounding Experts Around the World
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Take a walk thru a HEXPOL Lab
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      HEXPOL offers a unique selection of High Performance Elastomers to match your application requirements
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      It’s what you can’t see that makes the Difference at HEXPOL
  • Blogs
    • Products
    • Wacky World of Rubber
    • New Products: MonTech introduces 1,500 kN lab press
      New products: 3M introduces new durable, pliable medical adhesive
      New Products: Lanxess launches energy-efficient PU elastomer
      New Products: MonTech automates bale cutter for safety, productivity
    • Wacky World of Rubber: How Trelleborg, teens sealed a spot in the world record book
      Wacky World of Rubber: Of chicken and feet, but not chicken feet
      Wacky World of Rubber: Time to go mattress shopping
      Wacky World of Rubber: Because nothing says football like 'frunk' shrimp
  • Newsletters
    • Rubber in Automotive
    • Silicone News
    • Latex News
    • Sign Up for Newsletters
    • Smithers webinars focus on performance materials in green tires
      Ford to close 3 plants, end production in Brazil, costing $4.1 billion
      Study: Vehicle buyers cling to familiarity amid pandemic
      Kumho launches commercial LT, performance tire lines
    • Safic-Alcan extends distribution agreement with Momentive
      Momentive aims to grow silicone presence in Asia-Pacific region
      IRP Medical solidifies portfolio with KDL deal
      Rubber lab services firm Ace reports record year
    • Jack Murphy joins Akron Dispersions
      Synthomer optimistic, raises earnings forecast
      Top Glove reopens COVID-hit factories with enhanced precautions
      Malaysia electronics group to enter rubber gloves sector
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Photo Galleries
  • Directory
  • Resources
    • Classifieds & Mold Mart
    • Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Sponsored By HB Chemical
      The Company Behind the Inventory
      Sponsored By French Oil Mill Machinery
      Process Improvement, Cost Reduction with Custom Press Systems
    • Sponsored By Uncountable Inc.
      Cooper Standard deploys lab informatics platform to synchronize R&D
      Sponsored By Elkem
      LSR Select™: A solution to improve your financial impact in molding applications
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Peroxide Cureable Silicone Injection Molding
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Understanding and Selecting Performance Additives for Rubber Compounding
  • Data
  • Events
    • RPN Events
    • RPN Livestreams/Webinars
    • Industry Events
    • Past Events
    • ITEC Library
    • International Silicone Conference Library
    • 2021 Healthcare Elastomers Virtual Edition
      2021 Rubber in Automotive Virtual Edition
      2020 International Silicone Conference Virtual Edition
      2020 ITEC Virtual Edition
  • Advertise
  • DIGITAL EDITION
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
December 12, 2012 01:00 AM

Kumho readying touring, HP tires

  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    John Mosby, product planning coordinator, marketing department, for Kumho Tire USA, showing off one of the firm's new products at a dealer conference in Cancun, Mexico.

    RIVIERA CANCUN, Mexico—Kumho Tire USA Inc. tire dealers and distributors will have two new replacement tires to sell in 2013.

    The Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.-based unit of South Korea's Kumho Tire Co. Inc. told dealers it will introduce an all-season touring tire, the Kumho Sense KR26, in the first quarter, and launch a still unnamed high-performance, all-season passenger tire as a replacement for the Ecsta AST in the year's third period.

    The tire marketer announced the two new tires at its annual meeting at the Secrets Maroma Beach resort in Riviera Cancun.

    The H-rated Sense KR26 is targeted for replacement use on small sedans and hatchbacks such as the Honda Civic and Mazda 3, a growing segment where original equipment tire sales of 14-, 15- and 16-inch-rated tires have more than doubled to 3.5 million units in the U.S over the past two years, said John Mosby, product planning coordinator, marketing department, for Kumho.

    "This is where we see this market and this tire really succeeding," he said.

    Auto makers have been trying to increase miles per gallon in vehicles in an effort to meet Environmental Protection Agency regulations and higher mileage requirements, Mosby said. Part of the way car manufacturers are achieving this is through the use of lighter-weight vehicles.

    "They are reducing weight, they are reducing engine sizes, they are turbo charging, so we designed this tire to work with these lightweight vehicles, these smaller vehicles of today and the future," he said. "We did this by designing the tire to be lightweight itself.

    "This helps the tire achieve lower rolling resistance numbers as well as making the ride and handling much nicer because there is just less mass and force moving around as the customer is driving on the road."

    The Sense KR 20 is designed with circumferential grooves for lateral grip and water evacuation, multiple lateral grooves for wet and dry traction as well as a full-depth sipe system that provides enhanced traction in light snow.

    For reduced road noise, the tire employs variable pitch tread blocks.

    Kumho will offer the tire in 28 sizes in 13- to 17-inch rim diameters. It has a UTQG rating of 520 AA and comes with a 40,000-mile limited treadwear warranty.

    Tire dealers at the meeting also learned about the replacement to the Ecsta AST, which the company has dubbed the KU25 until a name is chosen.

    This KU25 features what Mosby called an engineered directional tread designed to stay quiet throughout the life of the tire. The tread uses a lot of siping for all-season traction, which is also enhanced by the tire's tread compound. Variable pitch tread blocks help reduce road noise.

    "We think we've achieved a wonderful blend of long mileage, dry performance, wet traction and mild snow traction," he said.

    This tire addresses the shifting needs of vehicle owners in this category.

    "The economic downturn has created consumers focused on longevity and all-season performance," Mosby said. "When the economy gets in recession, people look for value. They need a tire that gives them everything and they are not willing to sacrifice any areas of performance. So we had to keep that in mind when designing the new KU25."

    Kumho benchmarked the KU25 against the Yokohama Avid Envigor H and V and claimed that it found the tire offered the same dry traction, was better in the wet, had lower road noise and ride comfort, and offered significantly better snow traction, Mosby said.

    In developing the tire, Kumho kept sizing at 55-series aspect ratios and below. "The reason we've done that is we feel this is the natural market for a high-performance all-season tire," he said.

    Vehicles targeted for this tire include owners of sports cars such as the Lexus IS 250 and Mazda RX-8 and sporty sedans such as the Honda Accord EX V6.

    "The user wants a sporty tire but they also need something that they can live with every day on what is most likely their commuter tire," Mosby said. "They need it to go long mileage, they need it to perform year round. This tire does that."

    The KU25 has a V-speed rating, upgraded from the H-rated AST, and a UTQG rating of 560 AA. Kumho has given the tire a 55,000-mile limited treadwear warranty and will offer it in 27 sizes in 15- to 18-inch rim diameters.

    Pricing will be similar to the current AST.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Rubber & Plastics News wants to hear from its readers. If you want to express your opinion on a story or issue, email your letter to Editor Bruce Meyer at [email protected].

    SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Rubber & Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe Today

    Subscribe to Rubber & Plastics News to get the best coverage and leading insights in the industry.

    SUBSCRIBE
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    MISSION

    To serve companies in the global rubber product industry by delivering news, industry insights, opinions and technical information.

    web
    Contact Us

    2291 Riverfront Pkwy, Suite 1000
    Cuyahoga Falls,
    OH 44221

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1726

    Resources
    • About Us
    • Digital Edition
    • Contact the Staff
    • Advertise
    • Order Reprints
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    • Terms of Service
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Partner Sites
    • Tire Business
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Plastics News
    • Plastics News China
    • Urethanes Technology
    • Automotive News
    • Crain Brands
    Copyright © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • ITEC
      • Automotive
      • Tire
      • Non-Tire
      • Suppliers
      • Silicone
      • Latex
      • Coronavirus
      • Executive Action
      • Government/Legal
      • Opinion
      • Technical Notebooks
      • International Elastomer Show
      • Women in Tire & Rubber
      • HEXPOL Sponsored Content
    • Blogs
      • Products
      • Wacky World of Rubber
    • Newsletters
      • Rubber in Automotive
      • Silicone News
      • Latex News
      • Sign Up for Newsletters
    • Multimedia
      • Videos
      • Photo Galleries
    • Directory
    • Resources
      • Classifieds & Mold Mart
      • Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
    • Data
    • Events
      • RPN Events
      • RPN Livestreams/Webinars
      • Industry Events
      • Past Events
      • ITEC Library
      • International Silicone Conference Library
    • Advertise
    • DIGITAL EDITION