ATLANTA. Cooper Tire has launched a new long haul steer (LHS) tire as part of its Cooper PRO Series product line. The tire joins the Cooper PRO Series long haul drive (LHD) tire introduced last year. The new steer tire will initially be available in size 295/75R22.5 with other sizes becoming available in June.
The Cooper PRO Series LHS was designed from the ground up to offer low cost of ownership through long miles to removal, fuel efficiency, and design elements to help ensure uniform wear and retreadability. The new tire features Cooper’s ECO (Energy Conservation Optimization) technology that combines tire design, compounding and construction to provide an ultra-low rolling resistance tire that both exceeds SmartWay standard requirements by 15 percent and meets the EPA’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions requirements set for 2021.
“This steer tire is the new flagship product for Cooper commercial tires,” said Gary Schroeder, Executive Director of Cooper’s Global Truck and Bus Tire Business. “We know the importance of this tire position, and it’s why we designed the tire to perform at a very high level – meeting the demanding needs of long haul fleets. We purposefully created this tire to give fleets what they are asking for – a low cost of ownership solution to reduce tire program costs and improve a fleet’s bottom line. We’re offering the tire at a price point that makes it a ‘best buy.’ Excellent performance, matched with very competitive pricing, is what fleets are looking for in tires, and we’re delivering with the Cooper PRO Series.
“Our new long haul steer; dimensionally it is very premium in terms of its width and amount of rubber on the road. It has a nice big contact patch that helps out with durability and wear on the product, decoupling groove on both shoulders to help reduce the possibility of irregular wear. Some unique features inside the grooves that are patent pending, to help with stone ejection, so stones don’t get trapped in there and cause problems with the casing.”
The Cooper PRO Series LHS provides 18/32nds of tread depth and features a wider footprint than most steer tires on the market – a full inch in many cases. “This provides better traction while promoting longer, more even wear,” said Schroeder. “And, it doesn’t sacrifice fuel economy in the process. When paired with our PRO Series LHD drive tire, that is also SmartWay verified, fleets can maximize fuel economy.”
To enhance even wear, the tire has a decoupling groove to minimize shoulder wear. A unique feature on Cooper’s new steer tire is a patent-pending stone ejector design with a stepped groove wall in the tread pattern. This feature helps prevent stone drilling to ensure the integrity of the casing for multiple retreads.
Helping improve tire maintenance is Cooper’s Wear Square on the tire’s shoulder ribs. This is a visual indicator, which shows the tread depth through five different evolving image icons. A “square” shows full tread depth, while an “L” shape shows half the tread is left. An icon also shows when the tire should be pulled for retreading. Since the Wear Square is placed on both sides of the tire, it’s also an alignment indicator. If the icons don’t match, the tire technician knows there is an alignment problem or uneven tire issue and can take corrective measures.
The Cooper PRO Series LHS features four-belt steel design construction and an industry-leading seven-year, two-retread warranty. The tire is also warranted for full replacement value for the first 50 percent of treadwear. “Our warranty showcases the confidence we have in this tire,” said Schroeder. “It’s ready to perform.”
