The unmistakable look of the offroad T/A KO2 tyre.
PETALING JAYA: American tyre brand BFGoodrich staged a comeback to Malaysia today with three new tyres catering to sedans, SUVs and off-road vehicles.
The Advantage T/A Drive and T/A SUV road tyres are available in sizes from 13 to 18 inches with prices from RM100 to RM550. The All-Terrain T/A KO2 come in sizes 15 to 18 inches, with prices starting from RM1,000.
Offering an upgraded grip and a smooth, long lasting ride, the Advantage T/A range promises a pleasant everyday ride at a reasonable price.
Best suited for city and urban driving, the BFGoodrich Advantage T/A range is developed for sedans and sport utility vehicles.
They are said to be responsive to driver input, thanks to enhanced symmetric tread design with rigid tread blocks and shoulder, as well as “jagged” grooves for improved handling and control.
The T/A SUV.
They have large tread block s with deep wide longitudinal, latitudinal grooves and sipes to ensure strong braking in wet and dry conditions.
They are moulded with multiple plies and reinforced at the shoulders as well as bead areas.
The offroad KO2 is said to offer exceptional toughness, tread life and traction for traversing the harshest conditions, including gravel, dirt, rock and mud.
Building on BFGoodrich's reputation as an innovative all-terrain tyre maker, the KO2 tyre is the first consumer tyre to incorporate the company’s race-proven CoreGard technology that is said to toughen up the sidewalls and prevent it from splitting. It is 20% stronger than the previous KO tyre and also has 10% greater traction in the mud for better off-road performance.
BFGoodrich said in a statement that the KO2 is also durable, lasting twice as long on gravel roads and 15% longer on asphalt.
The T/A Drive for sedans or passenger cars.
A number of new features and innovations help the KO2 achieve such characteristics.
Side-Biter lugs in the sidewall improve traction in mud, snow and rocks. Raised bars in the shoulder help release compacted mud for better traction in soft soil. 3-D sipes create biting edges for better traction.
The durability is attributed to the tyre having a new tread design and rubber formulation. In addition, the tread rubber has been optimally blended to reduce chips and tears on gravel. A new footprint shape and interlocking tread design provide more uniform wear over the long haul. Moreover, special stone ejectors push objects out of the tread to reduce drilling into the tyre.
BFGoodrich has been missing from the local market since 2011 because of the need for product rationalisation at the time, said a spokesman, adding that the brand is here to stay with today's product launch.
BFGoodrich is now owned by Michelin. Present at the launch were Michelin Malaysia managing director Chandan Thakur and its marketing director Putu Yudha.
