Hankook: how to extend tyre life
Tyre manufacturer Hankook has outlined the efficiency and environmental advantages that commercial vehicle fleets can gain through tyre regrooving and retreading, as well as the benefits of a robust tyre maintenance regime.
For vehicle operators, tyres represent a significant investment, making service life extension a valuable proposition.
“Combined with proper tyre husbandry practices – including rotation and pressure maintenance – regrooving can substantially extend tyre life, reduce costs, and deliver environmental benefits such as improved fuel efficiency,” said Hankook.
“Tyres designed for regrooving feature additional rubber beneath the main tread and are engineered specifically to optimise their full lifecycle as efficiently as possible, maximising mileage potential with minimal rolling resistance. All suitable Hankook tyres are clearly marked for regrooving.”
Hankook warns that the process should only be performed by appropriately trained personnel using specialist equipment with correctly configured cutting blade depth and width to ensure consistent recut depth. Detailed regrooving guidance for Hankook tyres is available in the current Technical Manual.
“Proper tyre maintenance is vital to ensure optimal performance and safety while keeping fleet operating costs to a minimum,” the firm continued.
“Vehicle operators are responsible for ensuring tyres are checked regularly, inflated correctly for imposed axle loads, free from damage, and maintained in a safe, legal, and roadworthy condition.
“Premature tyre removal is often attributable to improper inflation pressures or inadequate pressure monitoring. Vehicle mechanical irregularities can also cause uneven or one-sided tread wear.
“Tyres are designed to operate in the direction of travel. Any factors preventing true directional running – including misalignment, mechanical irregularities, improper inflation pressures, or inadequate pressure maintenance – will directly compromise tyre performance and durability, resulting in premature replacement.”
Since the world’s resources are finite, environmental considerations must inform every stage of design, manufacture, and product use, says Hankook.
“By engineering quality products with recycling and reuse in mind, regrooving represents one method of extending tyre life and reducing costs. Retreading offers an even more environmentally friendly solution with additional cost savings.
“The contribution retreading makes – both economically and environmentally – through reduced lifecycle costs and diversion of worn tyres from the waste stream cannot be overstated. You can achieve up to 100 per cent more mileage from your Hankook premium hot-cured retread, while paying 30-40 per cent less than the cost of a new tyre.
“Retreading also brings major sustainability benefits: 70 per cent of raw materials used in manufacturing a new tyre are saved when a tyre is retreaded. Additionally, 1,000 retreaded tyres save approximately 60t of CO2 during production and reduce water and land use by 19 per cent and 29 per cent respectively.”
Implementing a robust tyre management system is essential for vehicle operators, Hankook adds.
“By partnering with tyre service providers and manufacturers, operators can establish best-practice tyre policies that reduce environmental impact through recycling and retreading programmes.
“An effective tyre management system ensures appropriate tyres are matched to vehicles, axles, service types, and operating conditions. It includes regular tyre inspections to examine for damage, wear, and correct inflation, with timely interventions such as rotation and regrooving, alongside established procedures to address identified issues promptly.”
In the commercial vehicle sector, each tyre must be carefully matched to specific axle positions and service applications to optimise not only safety but also endurance, performance, and economy. Hankook offers an extensive portfolio which it says is designed to meet the exacting requirements of both vehicle manufacturers and fleet operators.
“With abundant choice in the UK commercial tyre market, understanding a tyre’s features and benefits is paramount for vehicle and fleet operators when making product selection decisions,” said the company.
“As a premium tyre manufacturer, Hankook provides products engineered to meet the demands of various road conditions and customer needs – from UK regional operations to intercontinental travel, and across diverse applications including on/off-road, mixed road usage, and urban environments.
“For regional operations, Hankook’s SmartFlex all-season range delivers five core performance attributes: safety, mileage, anti-chip and cut resistance, retreadability, and traction. The range comprises the AH51 for steer axles and the DH51 for drive axles, and TH31 for trailer axles.
“The SmartFlex range also includes a versatile hybrid application solution. The AL51 for steering axle and all-position use and the DL51 for drive axles designed for long-distance and regional transport. The SmartLine AL50 for steering axle and all positions and the DL50 for drive axles are specifically designed for the requirements of long-haul vehicles.
“Each tyre delivers outstanding performance from the first to the last millimetre of tread depth and, like all modern Hankook truck tyres, can be regrooved and retreaded maximising both cost efficiency and sustainability.”
Meanwhile, for the construction industry and fleets operating in demanding on/off-road conditions, the SmartWork range is said to provide optimal solutions matched to specific axle fitments and environments.
