12/05/2019
Kumho Targets Mud-Terrain Segment with Road Venture MT71
Kumho Tire USA Inc. is taking aim at the growing mud-terrain light truck tire segment with its new Road Venture MT71, which the company introduced during a ride-and-drive event near Moab, Utah.
The new Kumho Road Venture MT71 will be available this coming January in 27 sizes, Kumho officials told dealers during a recent ride-and-drive event near Moab, Utah.
“The Road Venture MT71 will be a cornerstone product for us,” Shawn Denlein, Kumho’s executive vice president of sales and marketing, told Modern Tire Dealer. Kumho believes the tire will provide “tier one performance at a great price.”
The Road Venture MT71, which will hit the market in January 2020, has been in development for nearly two years, according to Ali Aljibouri, founder of Volk Wolf Dynamics, a tire testing services provider that helped evaluate the Road Venture MT71 before its introduction.The tire will be available in 27 sizes that combined will cover 83% of the mud-terrain segment, he says.
The Road Venture MT71 was designed “using multiple sizes and multiple specs on multiple platforms across the world,” notes Aljibouri. “Most tire companies pick one size and one type of vehicle,” when formulating new products, he says.
It features an aggressive tread design for enhanced climbing performance and off-road traction, enhanced durability with extra cut and chip resistance and “exceptional off-road performance with excellent highway safety and stability.”
Specifically, the Road Venture MT71 contains seven integrated steel and fabric layers, three-ply high-strength construction, two steel cord layers “as used in commercial tire applications,” and two nylon protection plies that together “add up to one of the most robust mud-terrain tires out there.”
During pre-launch testing, the product scored well in slick rock traction, forward traction, front path stability, “side-bite” ability, side slope traction and a wide range of additional performance dynamics, demonstrating “severe off-road capability,” says Aljibouri. “The Road Venture MT71’s footprint is pretty unique. Managing that