LOUISVILLE, KY. General Tire is celebrating its centennial at the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) here this week, and along with the birthday cake in the booth journalists were treated to the launch of three new highway truck tires.
“General Tire is an American tire brand built for durability,” said Alex Chmiel, marketing director, CVT the Americas, for parent company Continental. “We’re putting an all-new emphasis on General Tire for the independent owner-operator and small fleets. We feel that the tagline of ‘Anywhere is possible’ hits with our market.”
The purpose of the marketing push is to give small trucking businesses, who are not large enough for national accounts with a major tire brand, access to “the best performing tire in the marketplace at a price that’s affordable,” he added.
A company survey revealed that these smaller operators want dependability and consistent product availability in their tires, rather than the latest and greatest in tire technology.
“They want a tire to be durable and last the entire life that it should,” Chmiel said, referring to the preferences for a “second-tier” tire brand. “So they basically put it on and forget about it.”
The new product lineup is led by the General HS, a long-haul steer tire featuring an enhanced tread design, fuel-efficient compounding, and an upgraded casing platform. The five rib tread pattern, including a straight groove bottom design, promotes even wear and high removal mileage.
Additionally, the grooves feature pyramidal shaped stone ejectors to prevent stone retention and increase retreadability. Upgraded compounding in the General HS leads to longer removal mileage while still delivering optimal fuel economy.
The casing features an enhanced bead to belt package increasing overall durability for maximum retreadability. All of these components utilize proven technology and combine to deliver optimized long haulage performance.
The launch of the new General HS tire will begin in May.
The General HD long-haul drive tire, features a deep 32/32nd closed shoulder tread design that offers high mileage and optimal fuel economy while also delivering excellent traction in demanding applications.
The tread block geometry promotes stiffness in the footprint which reduces excess block movement leading to lower rolling resistance and improved fuel economy. The groove bottom ejection system reduces stone retention and casing penetration leading to higher retreadability.
The launch of the General HD tire will begin in April.
The General HT long haul trailer tire delivers optimal removal mileage and flexibility through an improved tread pattern. The improved scuff rib protects the sidewalls from curbing and cutting therefore reducing damage to the tire and increasing retreadability.
Additionally, this new tire has an innovative stone repellent tread pattern with patented groove technology that leads to minimum stone retention thereby extending casing life.
Overall the robust solid shoulder General HT will deliver the performance necessary and the flexibility needed for demanding applications, the company said. The launch of the New General HT tire will begin in March.
For more information about the new General Highway Tire Line, visit www.generaltiretruck.com.
