Magazine for the professional tire industry
Issue link: https://mtd.epubxp.com/i/762675
33 www.moderntiredealer.com Growing interest in the SEMA Show has pushed some exhibitors outside the Las Vegas Convention Center. Counter Intelligence columnist Wayne Williams is flanked by his family: son, Ryan and daughter-in-law, Chrissy, at left, and his wife, Tia, and her son, Jordan Johnson, at right. The size 37x12.50R17LT Trail Blade Boss from Atturo Tire Corp. fits nicely on a Jeep, Ford F-150 Raptor, standard Hummer (pictured), and other lifted vehicles. The tire is manufactured in Taiwan. Independent Tire Dealer Group executives Mike Cox, left, and Ed Long, right, walk the trade show floor with ITDG Chairman Clayton Miller, owner of Mainstreet Tire USA Inc. in Peyton, Colo. Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.'s Scott Jamieson, left, gives performance pointers on the new Zeon RS3-G1 premium all- season UHP tire to automotive industry analyst Nick Mitchell. Above: Tony Angelo's 1973 Plym- outh 'Cuda featured staggered 17-inch Nexen N'Fera Sur4 tires. Left: The Milestar Streetsteel will be available in 10 sizes with raised white letters. 3 editors, 3 takes TIA's Global Tire Expo showcased mud-terrain over all-terrain By Bob Ulrich N early 70,000 buyers from more than 100 countries traveled to Las Vegas to see if their suppliers or potential trading partners had new tires and other products that would astound and amaze them, like the neon lights on the Strip. And they weren't disappointed. Close to 232 exhibitors were part of the Global Tire Expo, "powered" by the Tire Industry Association. ey showcased many new tires in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, including some with raised white leers — still popular and in demand in some parts of the country. But the hot tire segment catered to off-road enthusiasts. A surprising number of tires with aggressive tread paerns fit the mud/terrain mold, although some were unofficially labeled R/T (Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. labels the category "rugged terrain"). Others easily could have been labeled extreme M/T. None of our tweets received as many impressions or total engagements as the one promoting the Nio Ridge Grappler. "It's a hybrid between a mud-terrain and an all-terrain," said Nio Tire U.S.A. Inc. Regional Sales Manager David Myers. Auro Tire Corp. will add 11 sizes, including two 24-inch sizes, to its Trail Blade Boss off-road tire in the first quarter of 2017. Entering the show, there was only one size available. Aer teasing dealers with the Maxxis Razr MT at the 2015 show, Maxxis International-USA said it is now available in six sizes ranging from 32 to 40 inches. Off-road racer Jason Coleman, known for his success in the Best in the Desert Racing Association, was in the Omni United (S) Ptd. Ltd. booth promoting the new Radar Renegade R7 M/T for SUVs and light trucks. If the tread paern looks familiar, simply compare it to the tires on which Coleman races: the Renegade R5 M/T. ■