TYRES: Kumho KRT03 trailer tyre winning friends in Australia

Kumho's new KRT03 Longmark trailer tyre is proving its special suitability to Australian conditions with the reliability and low running costs sought after by trucking operators.

The Longmark tyre was the result of a liaison between Kumho's Australian commercial field managers and the company's Korean research and development team.

Developed to handle the high temperatures, high weight loading and marginal road conditions encountered by many long-haul transport operators in Australia, as well as the variable condition and alignment of trailer wheels and axles, the Longmark tyre utilises a three-rib design that is more stable than four or five-rib designs.

With excellent resistance to diagonal scuffing, the tyre performs well in wet or dry on and off-road conditions, at constant high speeds, and on winding roads. A new heat-resistant intermediate compound also enables cooler running in hot Australian conditions.

The tyre was developed with consideration to trailer axle alignment combined with inconsistent tyre pressure maintenance, plus marginal road conditions that often conspire to produce uneven tread wear and diagonal scuffing.

"We came at this problem from a very different angle, by basing the KRT03 on the very successful Kumho 956 steer tyre and the results speak for themselves," said Kumho Tyre Australia's manager of truck and commercial vehicle tyres Harvey Hawes.

"With the three rib design it means that the tyre tread distortion that often occurs with badly aligned trailer wheels is minimised or prevented entirely. The deeper tread depth on most tyres creates more distortion and means the tyre runs hotter; however reducing the depth by two millimetres creates better stability, cooler running and ultimately much longer tyre life, again without compromising grip,” he said.

Hawes said transport operators tend to pay greater attention to steer and drive tyres than trailer tyres, even though the latter are equally important as they make up the majority of tyres on a semi-trailer or B-Double.

"On a conventional 22-tyre semi, the trailer tyres make up 55 per cent of the mix and on a B-Double they comprise 70 per cent of the tyres on the vehicle, so they are not only vital to the truck's efficient operation, they are also a major cost, particularly if you are not maximising  their performance," he added.

The Kumho KRT03 has a 16-ply rating with a load index rating of 148/145L in the 11R22.5 size. The tyre has a carrying capacity of 3000kg in single and 2725kg in dual fitment.

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