Two top tiremakers launched new consumer products yesterday, one an all-new tire and the other an extension of one of its popular lines.
Toyo Tire USA unveiled the Versado CUV, which the tiremaker said “carries on a tradition of comfortable and quiet operation while being loaded with advanced features to enhance handling, stability and fuel efficiency.”
The all-season tire features Toyo’s Silent Wall technology to reduce road noise; a new long-wearing, low rolling resistant tread compound; a computer-optimized casing; a large block and rib design for handling and stability; and four wide circumferential grooves and open lateral slits for water drainage.
The Versado CUV is available in 25 sizes to fit 17- through 20-inch diameter wheels.
Yokohama Tire Corp., meanwhile, has begin shipping its new Avid ENVigor, line with 69 sizes covering 15- through 20-inch wheel diameters.
Calling it one of the “largest product launches in company history,” the Avid ENVigor was unveiled in late 2009 as “the most complete performance tire ever created.”
“The ENVigor is unprecedented in the industry,” said Mark Chung, Yokohama director of corporate strategy and planning. “It is the first and only high-performance tire that successfully blends all-season performance, superior comfort, enhanced traction and handling, with remarkable fuel efficiency, eco sensibilities and long treadlife. It had to have a new category – Grand Performance – named for it due to its collective characteristics. It’s a technical marvel.”
The ENVigor replaces the Yokohama Avid H4s/V4s and W4 tires. Produed at Yokohama’s Salem, Va., plant, the tire comes in H-, V- and W-ratings. It features Yokohama’s Adaptive 3D sipes for wet and winter traction; angled groove walls and circumferential grooves to resist hydroplaning; a tapered center rib and unibloc shoulder for stiffness; a six-pitch tread variation for reduced pattern noise; groove-in-groove technology for reduced uneven wear; and a new silica compound for low rolling resistance.
