LOUISVILLE. BFGoodrich announced the launch of two new all-terrain commercial truck tires to its Cross Control Line here at the 2018 Mid-America Trucking Show.
The Cross Control S and Cross Control D tires, which were officially released a couple weeks ago, are designed for the energy (oil and gas fleets), construction (residential, business, public), and logging sectors.
All three segments have similar needs when it comes to tires, noted Adam Murphy, vice president of B2B marketing for BFGoodrich commercial truck tires.
“They are operating in incredibly difficult conditions, so it starts with durability," Murphy said. "In addition to durability they need traction. And, of course, we all understand the challenges that fleets are facing today in recruiting and retaining drivers. The driver has to be happy and confident in the performance the product delivers. At the end of the day for energy, construction and logging, it’s all about uptime.”
Tires in the Cross Control line, available in both a steer version and drive-tire version, are designed to combat damage and downtime with features that include:
- Thick sidewalls to resist damage from impacts
- Heat-release compounds to help reduce internal casing temperatures
- A full protector ply, which is 75% wider to protect from penetrations and road hazards
- Anti-cut and chip resistance to help prevent damage that can take a tire prematurely out of service
According to the company, the Cross Control S steer tire is guaranteed to provide 20% more mileage on the wide-base iteration than with the company’s ST565 wide-base tire. In addition, the tire’s serrated shoulder with rib blocks assist with maneuverability in soft soils and snow conditions. The tire is available in the following sizes: 11R22.5 and 11R24.5, and 315/80R22.5. Beginning in May, the tire also will be available in sizes 385/65R22.5 and 425/65R22.5.
The Cross Control D drive tire offers many of the same features as its steer counterpart, the company noted. In addition, it is designed with 25% more lugs on the road to deliver better traction to grip snow, mud, and dirt penetrations. This tire is available in sizes 11R22.5 and 11R24.5.
According to the company’s Work Hard Guarantee, if an owner operator or fleet is not completely satisfied with the tires’ traction performance or even if they are satisfied and the tire has to be taken out of service any time in the first six months or first 50% of the tire’s tread life, the company will reimburse 50% of the acquisition price back to that customer.
The company also offers an augmented reality app for customers to actually experience the tires before they buy them.