Kenda rolls out Klever A/T2 light truck tire

LAS VEGAS—Kenda Tire USA Inc. recently unveiled its successor to the Klever A/T light truck tire. The Klever A/T2 is designed to give consumers more highway driving benefits while maintaining the integrity of an all-terrain tire.

"It has got to look the part," a Kenda spokesman said. "And it has to deliver."

A smooth highway ride and good off-road grip seem mutually exclusive.

"Fortunately, engineers are stubborn," one Kenda engineer joked at the tire's unveiling at SpeedVegas.

The Klever A/T2 was developed at the company's American technical center in Akron, and will be produced in Vietnam.

"While our current Klever A/T has been a proven performer, we allowed the market to drive the development points of the Klever A/T2," said Brandon Stotsenburg, vice president of automotive sales. "In doing so, we tasked our North American Technical Center to push the capabilities of our new all-terrain tire to the next level."

The tread design of the Klever A/T2 is aggressive to meet winter and off-road needs, but Kenda said it was "optimized" to reduce noise on the highway.

The upper side walls are designed to protect from tears and offer a better biting edge in snow and off-road. The tread compound is the same as the Klever R/T, the A/T2's rough-terrain compliment.

The Klever A/T2 will be available in late spring 2020 in 40 sizes. It will be produced in the company's new Vietnam facility, which by the end of 2020, the company says will be able to produce six million tires a year.