FINDLAY, Ohio—Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. has added a 70-series trailer tire, the RM272, to its Roadmaster truck tire lineup.
The RM272—which Cooper said has been “specifically engineered to withstand the demands of drop-deck trailers”—features a new tread design and compounding that provides improved treadwear and protection against cutting and chipping. The tire, with 16/32-inch tread depth, is available in size 255/70R22.5 in load range H.
“It's one tough tire designed for one demanding application,” said Gary Schroeder, Cooper's director of commercial vehicle and OEM sales. “Of all wheel positions, tires on a drop-deck trailer take some of the harshest punishment—often they don't get replaced due to mileage, they get replaced due to tread damage, such as scrubbing or tearing. The new RM272 is designed to withstand these conditions and we believe this tire will be a top performer in the industry.”
Featuring a four-belt steel casing, the RM272 has a slightly rounded tread footprint, according to the Findlay-based tire maker, along with a reinforced shoulder to help withstand extreme side forces.
“Withstanding scrubbing and tearing is what this tire is all about,” Schroeder said. “When the tire was in development, we tested its performance against three types of concrete surfaces to match difficult real-world conditions, including concrete with exposed limestone, and grooved bridge decking.
“These tests enabled Cooper engineers to validate that the tires' durability and performance levels exceeded everyday operating conditions.”
The Roadmaster RM272 also was designed to ward off irregular wear and damage due to curbing. Because of its rounded footprint, Cooper said pressure distribution is optimized along all the ribs, helping prevent premature wear on intermediate ribs.
Cooper sources its Roadmaster truck tires from Prinx Chengshan (Shandong) Tire Co., its former joint venture manufacturing company with China's Chengshan Group Co. Ltd.