Launch of New Premium Comfort Tires from SPORT MAXX Series:Boasting Both Quiet Cabin and Steering Stability
Dec. 10. 2024
Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. is pleased to announce the launch of DUNLOP “SPORT MAXX LUX”, our premium comfort tires that achieve steering stability and quietness at high levels. Available in 72 sizes and featuring open prices, these new tires will go on sale in February 2025 firstly within Japan.
Thanks to an increased tire-ground contact area, the special profile dedicated to SPORT MAXX produces superior steering stability. A combination of original tread pattern design and special sound absorbing sponge controls sound pressure and thereby reduces tire noise. The new tires were confirmed to meet the performance requirements for electric vehicles (EV) in addition to gas-fueled cars and carry the first EV Suitable mark stamped on the side. The use of the in-house mark is determined according to our own criteria to meet increasing EV needs in recent years.
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MAXX Drivability Technology, the unique SPORT MAXX profile, allows SPORT MAXX LUX tires to use a wider contact patch for tire grip, which contributes to steering stability. Another feature is the combination of “Seamless Groove,” optimal tread pattern design of lateral grooves in the contact patch; “Dual Slope,” which changes the air flow in main grooves; and “SILENT CORE,” a special acoustic sponge that absorbs air vibrations inside the tire. Together, these cutting-edge “Silent Wave Technologies” have reduced pattern and road noises by 14.9% and 8.8%, respectively, over our existing "VEURO VE304" tire. The EV Suitable mark stamped on the side of these innovative tires demonstrates high-level compliance with EV tire requirements for rolling resistance, load resistance, quiet ride, antiwear performance, and wet grip performance.
■ Product Features
○Improved steering stability with MAXX Drivability Technology
Featuring the special MAXX Drivability Technology profile exclusive for SPORT MAXX, the wider contact patch allows for a better grip on the road surface, improving steering stability. Compared to tires without this profile, cornering is smooth and steady with smaller steering angles.
○ Reduced cabin noise with Silent Wave Technology
Adopting the latest Silent Wave Technology, noise is reduced by minimizing the sound pressure of frequency bands unpleasant to the driver’s ear and smoothing out the waveform of the frequency. The Seamless Groove design ensures that the tread pattern on the tire surface, including blocks and grooves, remains in contact with the ground constantly, thereby reducing the pattern noise generated when blocks on the contact surface hit the road surface. The Dual Slope design positions a slope inside the main groove to also help reduce pattern noise generated by air vibrations in the tire. Additionally, the tire comes equipped with our proprietary SILENT CORE technology, a special sound-absorbing sponge that absorbs noise caused by air vibrations inside the tire, resulting in a quieter ride. The shape and size of the special sound-absorbing sponge have been increased in a special design to further boost sound absorption. Together, these technologies have reduced pattern and road noises by 14.9% and 8.8%, respectively, over our existing "VEURO VE304" tire.
○ DUNLOP's first high-performance tire stamped with EV Suitable mark
The new premium tires were developed by expanding on the technologies cultivated through the development of tires for exclusive use with EVs, such as the FALKEN “e. ZIEX”*1 and DUNLOP “e. SPORT MAXX”*2, and tires installed on new EVs. Meeting the criteria required not only for gas-fueled cars but for EVs, it is the first DUNLOP tire to be stamped with the EV Suitable mark. On this occasion, DUNLOP has introduced the EV Suitable mark, which can only be stamped on tires that clear the high standards for rolling resistance, load resistance, anti-wear performance, quiet ride, and wet grip performance.
