Kumho Tire USA, one of the world's leading tyre manufacturers, has added three new tyres to its lineup of ultra-high-performance tyres. The new tyres – Ecsta Sport All-Season PA71, Ecsta Sport PS72 and Ecsta Sport S PS72 – were showcased at the recently concluded SEMA 2024 event in Las Vegas and will be available in the spring of 2025.

Featuring wide and stiff outside tread blocks and zig-zag grooves on the inside tread blocks, the Ecsta Sport All-Season PA71 is an all-season tyre that enhances grip and traction in any weather condition without sacrificing performance. The lateral grooves in the tread design further aid in water drainage and maintain performance in wet weather. Equipped with proprietary ‘K-NOISE DEFENDER’ dimple design, the tyre provides excellent low-noise performance. The tyre also comes with a 50,000-mile (around 80,000 km) treadwear warranty to stand out as the perfect all-season tyre.

The Ecsta Sport PS72 and Ecsta Sport S PS72, on the other hand, are the most advanced ultra-high-performance summer tyres developed by Kumho Tire. Featuring an enhanced compound and special tread design, these summer tyres provide maximum traction and excellent performance in handling, stability, cornering and steering response in the rain as well as summer. Both the tyres come with a 30,000-mile (around 48,000 km) treadwear warranty.

Shawn Denlein, President – Sales and Marketing, Kumho Tire USA, said, "We are introducing our most technologically advanced ultra-high-performance tyres that set a new standard for what a high-performance tyre can and should be. We are continuing to deliver superior tyres with exceptional warranties at extremely competitive price points, which is what customers can and should expect from Kumho Tire.

"The Ecsta Sport All-Season PA71 delivers a combination that is hard to find. It offers true performance and grip, is excellent in wet weather and features a high-mileage warranty. This tyre pushes the limits of what is possible in an all-season, high-performance tyre.

"The Ecsta Sport PS72 and Ecsta Sport S PS72 product line sets Kumho Tire apart in the ultra-high-performance tyre space. The magic is in the details, and we left no stone unturned to design tyres with the mission to unleash peak performance and include an impressive tread wear warranty."

The Ecsta Sport All-Season PA71 is available in 56 sizes, ranging from 16-inch to 21-inch, whereas the Ecsta Sport PS72 is available in 56 sizes, ranging from 17-inch to 21-inch, and the Ecsta Sport S PS72 in 52 different sizes, ranging from 18-inch to 22-inch.

Wabash, a leading supplier of connected solutions for the transportation, logistics and distribution industries, has renewed its strategic agreement with the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, one of the world’s largest tyre companies.

The agreement is expected to further strengthens Goodyear’s position as the preferred tyre supplier for Wabash's van, tank and platform trailers, and will also provide Wabash customers with full-service tyre management support.

Richard Mansilla, Vice-President, global supply chain at Wabash, said, “We are excited to continue our long-standing relationship with Goodyear. This agreement strengthens our supply chain with a premium brand, enhances customer support and contributes to the continued growth of the Wabash ecosystem. We look forward to building on our shared commitment to industry innovation and exceptional service.”

For over 15 years, Goodyear has been the equipping Wabash with tyres for its trailer product lines.

Joe Burke, Vice-President of Goodyear’s North America Commercial business, said, “Goodyear's collaboration with Wabash underscores our combined focus to deliver high-quality, innovative products and seamless, end-to-end services to van, tank and platform trailer customers. We are excited to continue advancing solutions that enhance the Wabash customer experience and help ensure they carry their cargo with confidence.”

Continental, one of the leading tyre and automotive technology suppliers, has launched its new fuel-efficient, long haul drive tyre – Conti HDL 3 EP - for the United States Market.

The company stated that the new tyre combines high-structure carbon black and silica technology to deliver a well-balanced mix of rolling resistance and durability. It features a polymer matrix-bound silica compound, which enables up to 10 percent better rolling resistance compared to its predecessor and is SmartWay verified for Class 8 long haul tractor trailers.

Shaun Uys, Head of Continental’s Truck Tyre Replacement Business in the US, said, “The Conti HDL 3 EP was purposefully designed with a fleet’s needs in mind – from being built on 3G Casing for maximum retreadability, to its improved rolling resistance and even wear. This premium long-haul tire was designed to help fleets achieve their lowest overall driving cost.”

The Conti HDL 3 EP comes with groove geometry reduces stone retention, and the tyre offers up to 15 percent improved cut and chip resistance, further extending its lifespan.

It is built on Continental 3G Casing that has a 240-245 mm retread width, and features a state-of-the-art belt package that reduces heat, increases durability, and maximises retreadability. It can also be paired with Continental’s ContiConnect Live digital tyre monitoring system.

The tyre will be available for the replacement market in size 295/75R22.5 in load range G, and additional sizes to be introduced by Q1 2025. 

Bridgestone Corporation (Bridgestone), one of the leading trye manufacturers, is all set to supply the Battlax Hypersport S23 tyres as original equipment for the Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX.

The Battlax Hypersport S23 tyres feature a new pattern design, which the company said balances optimal changes in contact patch stiffness with exceptional water drainage properties for riding on wet surfaces. The tyres provide both enhanced grip and handling stability during straight-line riding and at large lean angles.

The Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX offers riding performance and aggressive styling. It is equipped with the KQS (Kawasaki Quick Shifter), a USB Type-C power socket, and a smartphone connectivity function.

The partners have co-developed the tyres through a long-term co-creation development.

Using racing as a ‘mobile laboratory,’ Bridgestone aims to refine technology in extreme conditions, evolving and connecting the innovation to the development of replacement tyres for the future under the concept ‘From Circuit to Street.’

The tyre maker is banking on motorsports activities to continuously evolve its ‘Dan-Totsu’ products and strengthen its global premium niche strategy in the premium motorcycle tyre business.

Hankook Tire has launched the fourth generation Ventus evo, a sporty ultra-high-performance summer tyre for changeable conditions.

Featuring a new mixture developed using artificial intelligence (AI), the tyre provides excellent wet grip and low rolling resistance. The wide drainage grooves work in tandem with the optimised tyre contact area to facilitate good evacuation of water and reduce the risk of aquaplaning, while the extra-rigid sidewalls and tread blocks provide stability during cornering and shorten the dry braking distance by six percent compared to the third-generation tyre. The innovative mixture, on the other hand, ensures low rolling resistance despite the high grip. This reduces fuel consumption and provides a 32 percent increase in mileage compared to the third-generation tyre.

Klaus Krause, Vice President and Head of Europe Technical Centre, Hankook, said, “With the fourth generation of the Ventus evo, we are setting new standards. We decided early on to leverage AI in the development of tyre mixtures and were able to successfully transform the laboratory results into high-quality industrial processes. Today, we’re seeing the benefits of that effort. With its innovative mixture ratio, the Ventus evo overcomes traditional trade-offs, delivering uncompromising excellence in performance, safety and mileage.”

The new Ventus evo and Ventus evo SUV will be available in stores in 58 sizes by this summer, with plans to expand the offering to 94 sizes – from 17 to 23 inches in widths from 205 to 325 in the 65 to 30 series and with speed indexes from V to (Y) – by the end of next year.