When Yokohama Tire Corp. launched its newest addition to the Geolandar line, the Geolandar A/T G015, the tire was put to the test by a handful of media in one of the toughest terrains in the United States: Moab, Utah.
Fitted on Jeeps, the tires crawled up and down the rugged desert terrain, which included plenty of sand and steep rocks.
The desert was an ideal testing ground for the A/T G015, which Yokohama boasts is its toughest Geolandar yet.
Improving What Works
According to the tiremaker, the all-terrain market in 2020 doesn’t look like it will reach the market’s 2005 peak; however, the three key vehicle segments that can be fitted with all-terrain tires are projected to grow.
“Full size pick-up, compact pickup and large SUVs are also projected to continue to grow in this area so we think the all-terrain segment is going to continue to grow along with those vehicles,” said Bob Abram, Yokohama’s product planning manager, consumer.
What the tiremaker decided to do with its new all-terrain tire was take the best features of the A/T G015’s predecessor – the Geolandar A/T-S – and improve upon what consumers and dealers told Yokohama they wanted: wet and winter traction, durability, mileage, better fuel efficiency and less road noise.
The New A/T
The new Geolandar is engineered for a smooth, quiet ride and EdgeTec Grooves across that tread and an open tread block design provide all-season traction, Yokohama said.
The tire’s tread is backed by a 60,000-mile limited treadwear warranty for P/E-metric and 50,000-mile warranty for LT-metric sizes.
For off-road conditions, the tire features sidewall protectors, steel belts, and EnduroCore technology – an advanced belt construction for better durability.
Additionally, the tire features Yokohama’s Enduro Compound, made from an orange oil compound with a high silica content, for improved braking and handling in wet and winter conditions. This is Yokohama’s first all-terrain tire with orange oil.
“Silica and orange oil are both enablers,” Abram said. “So you can use a compound that gets more mileage, the silica and the orange oil enable us to get more wet traction while using a compound that’s better for mileage.”
The Geolandar A/T G015’s winter performance is also backed by the mountain/snowflake symbol and meets the RMA’s severe snow service criterion. Plus, every size of the tire carries the severe snow symbol.
To meet the various tire sizes of the key vehicle segments, the Geolandar A/T G015 size line-up covers 96% of the pick-ups and SUVs on the market and allows tire dealers to carry almost every size for their customers’ needs, Yokohama said.
The Geolandar A/T G015 will be available to North America tire dealers in 60 LT and P/E sizes, ranging 15 to 20 inches. The first 43 sizes will be available April 1, with 17 sizes to follow in July 2016. Additional expansion sizes are expected to launch by the end of 2016.
