Cooper launches PRO Series tire for long-haul trailers
Cooper Tire recently introduced a new long-haul trailer (LHT) tire, which the company says completes its Cooper PRO Series lineup with fitments at each tractor/trailer wheel position.
The Cooper PRO Series LHT joins the Cooper PRO Series long-haul drive and long-haul steer tires previously introduced. The new trailer tire is available in 295/75R22.5, with additional sizes coming later this summer, Cooper said.
“High performance with low cost of ownership is what our Cooper PRO Series is all about,” said Gary Schroeder, executive director of Cooper’s global truck and bus tire business. “Our signature PRO Series is complete with the arrival of our long-haul trailer tire, so fleets can now find the immediate benefit of running Cooper tires in all positions. That translates to long miles to removal coupled with optimum fuel efficiency.”
According to Schroeder, the Cooper PRO Series provides fleets with outstanding value for long-haul operations.
“Our benchmarking tests show the PRO Series’ low cost of ownership, what we call LCO, is equal to or lower than competitive Tier 1 tires,” he said. “Additionally, Cooper’s LCO performance is backed by an industry-leading, seven-year, two-retread warranty with full replacement value for the first 50% of tread life. This reflects the type of value Cooper’s Commercial Series tires deliver to fleets and showcases the confidence we have in our tires.”
Like the Cooper PRO Series LHS steer tire, the new trailer tire features Cooper’s ECO (Energy Conservation Optimization) technology. This combines tire design, compounding and construction to provide an ultra-low rolling resistance tire that exceeds SmartWay standard requirements by 15% and meets the EPA’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions requirements set for 2021, the company claimed.
To provide long miles to removal, the tire features 12/32nds of tread depth, and was designed with a V-shaped tread pattern, with ribs evenly spaced for better load distribution. The design helps ward off irregular wear, Cooper said, and its four-belt steel casing construction helps ensure a long-lasting trailer tire that will provide multiple retreads to drive down costs.
Helping improve tire maintenance is Cooper’s unique Wear Square on the tire’s shoulder ribs. The square shows tread depth through five different evolving patterns. A “square” shows full tread depth, while an “L” shape indicates half of the tread remains. The Wear Square also will show when the tire should be pulled for retreading, Cooper said.
