Cooper Tire has launched its new PRO Series Long Haul Steer 2 tire to help drive down tire costs for fleets. The tire replaces its predecessor, the Cooper PRO Series Long Haul Steer tire, and is available now in size 295/75R22.5 (load range G and H), with additional sizes becoming available in October.
The Cooper PRO Series Long Haul Steer 2 tire builds upon the solid foundation of its predecessor and features a patent pending shoulder decoupling rib. This provides added toughness on the edge of the tire to minimize irregular wear and damage caused by curbing, the company says.
One of the most fuel-efficient steer tires on the market, the new tire features Cooper’s ECO (Energy Conservation Optimization) technology, which combines tire design, compounding and construction to provide an ultra-low rolling resistance tire that exceeds SmartWay standard requirements by 15 percent. It also offers lower rolling resistance than EPA greenhouse gas (GHG) standards set for 2027.
The Cooper PRO Series Long Haul Steer 2 tire also provides 18/32nds of tread depth and features a wide footprint. This helps distribute weight more efficiently and promotes long and even wear, as well as enhanced traction.
“This is a premium steer tire designed to lower costs for our customers through fuel efficiency and long miles to removal,” says Gary Schroeder, executive director of Cooper’s Global Truck and Bus Tire Business.
“We’ve built on the success of this new tire’s predecessor and continued to innovate with improvements made on this new product. Cooper has made this high performing tire even better with the new decoupling rib, which has a unique size and shape that adds to its rigidity, allowing irregular shoulder wear to be minimized, which results in added durability in highway applications,” says Schroeder. “Another unique feature on this new steer tire is a patented stone ejector design with a stepped groove wall in the tread pattern. This feature helps prevent stone drilling to ensure the integrity of the casing for multiple retreads.”
Helping improve tire maintenance is Cooper’s Wear Square on the tire’s shoulder ribs. This is a visual indicator that shows tread depth through five different evolving image icons. A “square” shape indicates full tread depth, while an “L” shape shows only half the tread remains. An icon also shows when the tire should be pulled for retreading or replacement. Since the Wear Square is placed on both sides of the tire, it also serves as an alignment indicator. If the icons on each side don’t match, the tire technician knows there is an alignment problem or an uneven tire wear issue and can take corrective measures, Cooper says.
The Cooper PRO Series Long Haul Steer 2 tire features four-belt steel design construction and a seven-year, two-retread warranty. The tire is also warranted for full replacement value for the first 50 percent of treadwear.