Hankook taps AI mixing technology to enhance UHP tire

Neu-Isenburg, Germany – Hankook has launched a new version of its Ventus evo UHP tire which, it claims, combines “outstanding wet grip with impressively low rolling resistance and high mileage.”

Developed using AI technology, the fourth-generation summer tire is also stated to offer sporty performance, “uncompromising” safety and balanced character.

“We decided early on to leverage AI in the development of tire mixtures, said Klaus Krause, vice president and head of Europe technical center at Hankook.

The development team “were able to successfully transform the laboratory results into high quality industrial processes,” Krause added in a 29 Nov release.

With its innovative mixture ratio, he continued, the Ventus evo “overcomes traditional trade-offs, delivering uncompromising excellence in performance, safety, and mileage.”

In the highly complex mixing process, the Hankook engineers succeeded in perfectly distributing the silica content in the tire compound, which is crucial for wet grip, noted the release.

Other features include extra-rigid sidewalls and tread blocks, said to ensure stability during cornering and shorten dry-braking distance by 6% compared to the third-generation version.

Meanwhile, the innovative material mix is said to lower rolling resistance, thereby increasing mileage by 32% versus the predecessor tire.