MTD Visits During 2017 SEMA Show

We had a chance to chat with the fine folks at Modern Tire Dealer during the 2017 SEMA Show about the new sizes and tires coming from Atturo in 2018.  Click on the pics above to read about the new CV400 and the AZ610, as well as other changes at Atturo.

For more information on each of our tires, please visit our website at  www.atturo.com

TIRES 101: Proper Wheel Width

Have you ever noticed most tire manufacturers publish various specifications for each of their sizes? Those specs can include overall diameter, tire weight, tread depth and load specifications. One of the specs you normally see is "Approved Rim Width." This informs you of the allowable wheel widths for a given size.

Typically, tires that are mounted on the narrower end of the approved range provide more ride comfort, while the same size can offer increased cornering capability when mounted on the wider end of the scale. A tire mounted on a width in the middle of the range will offer a balance of ride comfort and handling.


WHY ARE THERE APPROVED WIDTHS?

When tires are designed and developed, it is important that the sidewalls remain mostly perpendicular to the ground to achieve optimum performance. Tires are not designed to perform on wheels outside of the approved range. Mounting tires on too narrow or too wide wheels will put undue stress on the shoulder and/or bead area. Over time, the tire may develop cracks or fail in those areas. Tires installed on improper width wheels can develop an irregular wear pattern as well. Typically, the taller the sidewall, the wider the range of wheel widths are allowed.


"Mounting tires on too narrow or too wide wheels will put undue stress on the shoulder and/or bead area."


"STRETCHING"

A popular fad at the moment is called "stretching." This involves mounting a tire on a much wider wheel than is approved. The result is a stretched look to the sidewalls. Mounting tires on wider-than-approved wheels can be dangerous for shop technicians. The extreme angles could cause the bead to rupture upon seating, resulting in injury or death.

Over time, the extreme angles of the sidewalls can cause fatigue in the shoulder and/or bead area, as mentioned earlier. This can result in catastrophic tire failure and could cause injury or death to the occupants of the vehicle. Additionally, stretching can result in belt separation as the tire will have a tendency to put more stress on the edges of the tread instead of a flat contact patch. In either case, tires that fail due to being mounted on wheels too wide are not eligible for warranty consideration. Is your shop prepared to handle the liability?

We recently saw 35x12.5R20s mounted on 20x14 wheels. The maximum approved width is 20x12. Don't do this!

"PINCHING"

Pinching most often occurs when tires are mounted on wheels that are too narrow for the size. This is often the result of the customer wanting to upgrade to a wider tire, but wanting to save money by keeping the factory wheels. Before mounting wider-than-stock tires on the factory wheels, you must confirm the original equipment wheels are wide enough for that size tire.

A common mistake is mounting 33x12.5R20 on factory wheels. Atturo, like most other manufacturers, requires an 8.5 inch wide wheel for this size. Mounting tires on wheels that are too narrow can cause a "wallowing" sensation for the driver as the sidewalls are no longer perpendicular to the ground. This condition is especially true of lower profile tires. Additionally, rapid center wear can occur due to the additional pressure in the center of the tread. And as mentioned before, bead and shoulder fatigue can occur over time.

While pinching and stretching may be fun to do to a baby's cheeks it is downright dangerous for tires. Your technicians' and customers' lives depend on you fitting their tires to approved width wheels only. While customers may want to install the wrong size tire for their wheels for style or budgetary reasons, taking some time to educate consumers about the dangers can avoid potential problems down the road.

Visit our Dealer Locator to find your local Atturo Tire Dealer who will help you fit the right Atturo tire properly. 

TORC: Dinsmore in Sturgis

Travis Dinsmore Race Recap:

We made the long haul to Sturgis hoping to walk away with podium finishes, but were defeated by the track. With an issue during qualifying, we qualified 7th and had to start back in the 4th row. Track conditions were less than favorable with almost no visibility. Made it difficult to work through the pack and just after the mandatory caution our truck was hit in the right rear by a truck coming back on the track causing a flat forcing us to finish the race on three wheels. Hoping to recover from Tuesday we started on the front row with high expectations. Heading into the second turn another truck ran into the back and forced us off the track hitting debris at the side of the track breaking the steering assist. Now at the back of the pack with no power steering we limped to the finish to salvage points. We maintained our overall points standing but lost valuable ground on the leaders. We are looking forward to the wide open track at bark river to stretch our legs and take two more wins.

Andrew Carlson at TORC: The Chicagoland Slam

Andrew Carlson - 151

Carlson started Round-6 in 9th place and made his way up to 4th where he battled with points leader Kyle Hart for a podium position 

The top 4 drivers ran extremely close lap times, with Carlson four-tenths of a second off of third place

Carson came across the finish line in 4th, narrowly missing his first podium finish

The team is heading straight to Crandon, Wisconsin and looking forward to carrying our momentum from Chicago to the Big House!

Travis Dinsmore at TORC: The Chicagoland Slam

Travis Dinsmore - 43 

Day 1:
Dinsmore was fast in the practice and qualifying rounds and was planning on the track condition to change in favor of his set up. However a last minute change due to dust the officials ripped up the track putting us at a disadvantage because of the tight lines. 

Day 2:
Dinsmore made a few changes in the practice round and made his truck work with the tight rough track. Dinsmore's setup was exactly where he needed it to be and he was a contender for the win. Unfortunately, due to a mechanical issue Dinsmore had to retire early.

We look forward to Crandon and know we now have the right set up for a win.

The Atturo X/T Hammers at the Competition!

 The Atturo X/T is our latest tire with rugged performance and amazing style in a new kind of all-terrain tire for owners of lifted vehicles and modified SUVs. Atturo now offers the aggressive sidewall style of our popular Trail Blade M/T combined with a tread designed for performance on the trail as well as on the road.

Here we are, enhancing the already aggressive look of Hammerhead Armor's truck build.

 For more information on the Trailblade X/T. 

To find a dealer near you. 

Chinese Tire Tariffs – This Time Could Be Different

It appears that another round of increased tariffs on Chinese made tires is upon us. While this does not directly effect Atturo, since our tires are not made in China, it will have consequences to the overall tire market. The primary impact will of course be on the price levels of various tires. This may hit consumers especially hard. It doesn’t have to be that way!

According to a recent article by Bob Ulrich in Modern Tire Dealer, prices on passenger and light truck tires have increased by 25-29% between 2008 and 2012. This period coincides with the last round of increased duty. But don’t forget, this same period saw the price of natural rubber nearly triple. If we are honest, then we must admit that there was also a good amount of profiteering by the premium brands. They sought to maintain their price points above the entry level tires, which suddenly become more expensive.

This was a lost opportunity for domestic tire producers, and all brands, to sell quality. Most of the industry begrudgingly accepts Chinese produced tires as a necessary entry level product. While the overall quality of these tires has continued to improve, there is still a reasonable gap between the next levels up the scale. The prior duty regime should have created an opportunity to set the price difference aside and educate the consumer about why they should prefer the better quality tire.

Between the higher duty, accelerating rubber prices and the arbitrary profiteering, the consumer really did get harmed over the 2008-2012 period. Two of these three factors were outside the control of the tire industry. I believe some type of increased tariff will come again. Rubber prices have come back down and seem stable at the moment. The third pillar is the pricing to be set by the non-Chinese producers. What will they do?

For Atturo’s part, we know the challenges of a new brand trying to earn a reputation for quality and value. Many others from Japan, Korea and other emerging manufacturing hubs have covered this same ground in the past. I look at this next round of higher tariffs as our opportunity to educate customers about the better quality tire which they can get for a very small price difference. This represents true value to the vehicle owner. Drivers will benefit from superior handling, braking, wet traction, proper load and speed index and improved longevity. Dealers will have the confidence of a satisfied customer, solid margins and the support of a US based operation.

Atturo’s pledge is that we will not seek to profiteer under any new tariff regime. While prices may fluctuate for a variety of reasons, Atturo is not going to seek to raise our prices solely to profiteer from an increase to the entry level products we seek to distinguish ourselves from. We started this company because we believe that great tires do not have to cost a lot of money. We also believe that it is better long term business to sell more tires at a fair price, than to try to capitalize on a short term government induced condition. Atturo will continue to keep performance within reach for our customers. Are you with us?

                                                               --- Michael Mathis, President
                                                                    Atturo Tires