Falken has launched four new steer and drive truck tires – the BI850, RI130 Ecorun, RI150 Ecorun, and BI830 Ecorun.
“Falken’s newest technology has been built into these four key products to maximize their time in service and extend the time between tire removals,” stated Richard Smallwood, Falken CEO and president. “For the steer axle, our new design concepts dramatically reduce the onset of irregular wear that results in early removal. For the drive axle, new tread block shape and rubber compounds work together for longer wear that remains even, increasing the useable life of the tire.”
The BI850 regional drive tire is available now and features an open shoulder design drive with an extra wide tread design, which is approximately 1.5 inches wider than its predecessor the BI-807D. Additionally, the tread design helps increase the life of the tire by distributing the vehicle’s weight over a wider surface, Falken said. The BI850 is Falken’s only tire to feature a special “Y” shape angled groove to combat stone drilling.
The RI130 Ecorun line haul steer tire for long haul applications features a new decoupling groove shape to prevent rib tearing and reduce strain on the outboard rib edge to reduce irregular wear, Falken said. The tire is SmartWay verified and will be available June 2016.
The RI150 Ecorun regional steer/all position tire features micro sipes along the rib walls to reduce stress on the rib edge for even tire wear. Additionally, a redesigned contact patch shape helps maximize mileage and a 3-D, wavy tread groove stiffens the outside shoulder ribs to minimize flexibility and control irregular wear. The tire is also SmartWay verified and available June 2016.
The BI830 ECORUN line haul drive tire features a closed shoulder drive design with wide tread blocks that minimize tread squirm and lower rolling resistance. The tire’s deep tread depths (30/32″) with a stone drilling defense feature at the base of the shoulder grooves help protect against casing damage. The BI830 is SmartWay verified and will be available June 2016.
