Hanover/Neu-Isenburg, Germany, 21 September, 2016 – At the 66th IAA Commercial Vehicle Show, the premium tyre maker Hankook is presenting its complete ultra efficient fuel-saving truck tyre line for long haul duty called e-cube Blue. The already available trailer tyre e-cube Blue TL20 is teamed up now with new steering (e-cube Blue AL20) and drive axle (e-cube Blue DL20) treads and Hankook is thus exhibiting for the first time a complete solution for long-haul traffic which has A-label marking for rolling resistance on all axle positions. The new e-cube Blue line enables fleet customers to profit from an additional eight percent tyre related fuel efficiency and provides up to 55 percent more durability (less irregular wear, higher mileage) compared with current products.
The tread design, which is tailored for each particular axle position also helps to further reduce fuel consumption and increase mileage without affecting dynamic characteristics such as braking and traction performance.
Both central rib tread blocks of the e-cube Blue AL20 steering axle tyres support each other through their interlocking design, which increases tread block rigidity and helps to reduce rolling resistance. The stepped main tread groove design gives extra support for each tread block side. Moreover, they provide for excellent straight stability and good steering response. The largely closed tread design in the shoulder rib area ensures particularly uniform tyre wear.
The tread appearance the e-cube Blue DL20 steering axle tyres is characterised by a central 4-block design of the massive central rib. The offset arrangement of the individual tread blocks guarantees interlocking action on both sides and results in mutual support for very good traction performance while reducing rolling resistance at the same time. In addition, the horizontally arranged semi-deep extra sipes in combination with tie bars in the open shoulder block area further promote traction.
Moreover, the extra-wide contour of the e-cube Blue TL20 trailer tyres supports a very high driving stability and optimises wear resistance. The multi-sipes added in the central rib area prevent uneven wear without affecting tread rib stability. The closed 4-groove tread design guarantees excellent lateral stability and also a very low rolling noise.
Common to all three e-cube Blue products is the newly developed tread compound with highly structured carbon black molecules for high fuel efficiency. In addition, the complete e-cube Blue tyre family also comprises all basic technologies of the successful Hankook e-cube product group, which uses amongst others Hankook's innovative mixture process IMS (Innovative Mixing System). This results in a particularly even distribution of carbon black and rubber molecules within the mixture. Together with longer mixing times at lower temperatures, this significantly increases the bonding rate between the carbon black and rubber molecules. As a result, e-cube tyres produce less heat during driving. The patented Hankook Stiffness Control Contour Theory (SCCT) design technology provides an even distribution of pressure inside the tyre and thus promotes more stability and less movement in the tyre. This results in high carcass durability and offers customers very good retreadability and economy.
