15 Feb 2011
ERJ staff report (R&PN)
WAYNE, N.J. (Feb. 14, 2011)-Ford Motor Co. has selected a 20-inch version of Hankook Tire Co. Ltd.'s Optimo H426 luxury performance touring all-season tire as an original equipment fitment on the 2011 Explorer SUV.
Hankook is supplying the Optimo H426 in size P255/50R20H for the Explorer, the 2011 North American Truck of the Year. Twenty-inch tires/wheels are standard equipment on the Limited version of the Explorer and optional on the XLT version, according to Ford data.
The Optimo H426 features a rib-block design to minimize vibration while driving and employs an optimized lateral groove width to generate the least possible noise, Hankook said, and has 20-percent lower rolling resistance than its predecessor.
This latest fitment expands Hankook's 8-year-old OE presence with Ford. Other fitments include the F-150, Edge, Flex, Mondeo and Fusion.
“We believe that our unwavering commitment and continuous efforts toward R&D investment to produce high quality products will in turn allow Hankook to become one of the top tier tire companies that captures the attention of premium car manufacturers,†said Woo Byung-Il, vice president of Hankook's global OE division.
From Tire Business (A Crain publication)
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