Buying local is key to rebuilding the South African economy following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, so says Sumitomo Rubber SA. Produced in the state-of-the-art Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal Truck Bus Radial manufacturing plant to meet the needs of the “always on the road” trucking industry, Sumitomo Dunlop has launched a new premium Drive truck tyre. Locally researched, produced and tested, the SP835A is said to tick all of the boxes for the long haul, highway trucking fleet. 

“The SP835A is a big deal for both the company and the trucking industry,” said Riaz Haffejee, CEO of Sumitomo Dunlop. “The launch of the SP835A sees the beginning of a new era where we are now able to supply a full set of locally produced tyres for the entire truck, for all positions – from Steer, to Drive and Trailer.”

A premium Drive tyre, the SP835A was developed for improved Cost per Kilometre (CPK), high mileage in long-haul highway applications. Exhibiting even tread wear and low rolling resistance due to DECTES* technology (reducing fuel consumption), the tyre has been manufactured using a cut resistant compound and has a Heel and Toe resistant pattern.  Better heat dissipation is achieved using base tread material in the tread construction which enhances re-treadability.

Key features include:

·        Reinforced bead: Bead with nylon reinforcement for even wear performance

·        Optimised Breakers Angle: Better distribution of ground contact pressure results in uniform tread wear improvement.

·        Pattern highlights:

o   Lug groove with different angle aimed at minimizing retention of stones and keeping block stiffness.

o   Less partial abrasion during block movement for even wear and higher mileage.

o   Tie-bars on the shoulder blocks reduces Heel & Toe wear, increasing driver comfort.

o   Performance improvement between wear, cut/chipping and stone trapping.

·        Available sizes: 315/80R22.5 and 295/80R22.5.

In house field application tests on 315/80R22.5 showed best performance in the Drive application for the SP835A versus 31 competitors and 19 Dunlop tyres in three different fleets, showing an up to 18% improvement on mileage.

The new tyre is being dubbed as being able to improve CPK and promote enhanced re-treadability while supporting local manfacture. Visit https://www.dunloptyres.co.za/Tyre-Range/BusTruck for more information.

* DECTES – Dunlop Energy Control Technologies