New premium original fitment options with Hankook Tire’s Ventus S1 evo² SUV, winter i*cept evo² SUV, or Kinergy GT

• - The current generation of the BMW X3 has been on the market since November 2017, and is available with tire options including Hankook Tire’s summer tires in the size 225/60 R18 104 W XL or Hankook Tire’s winter tires in 225/60 R18 104 H XL or an all season tire. With more than 1.5 million vehicles sold world-wide since the BMW X3 was launched in 2003, the model is one of the most popular in its class. The premium Hankook Ventus S1 evo² SUV, winter i*cept evo² SUV, and Kinergy GT tires contribute towards the brand-typical driving dynamics and agile handling of the new BMW X3. The passenger car version of these tires has already proven itself as an original fitment tire on the flagship BMW 7 Series among others.

May 31, 2018 (Seoul, Korea) - Hankook Tire wins another original fitment order covering both summer and winter tires, this time for the current BMW X3. This year for the first time, 25 percent of passenger car production will be for the popular SUV vehicle segment in Europe. Hankook Tire supplies its Ultra High Performance (UHP) tires in an SUV version especially for this product class. The BMW Group recognised the trend towards this versatile vehicle class early and was very successful with the predecessor models of the BMW X3. In terms of tires for the third BMW X3 generation, the manufacturer favours the Hankook Tire brand amongst others. The BMW X3 can be delivered with the Ventus S1 evo² SUV in size 225/60 R18 104 W XL or Hankook Tire’s winter i*cept evo² SUV in 225/60 R18 104 H XL for a dynamic sporty appearance, or with the all season tire Kinergy GT.

With the summer tire in particular, the BMW Group required Hankook Tire’s engineers to develop a tire that offers a high performance without compromising comfort, thus not only doing justice to the brand’s sporty reputation but also matching the comfortable yet agile character of the BMW X3.

To meet these requirements, the Ventus S1 evo² SUV with the star marking for the BMW X3 has been fitted with a specially adapted bead filler. This has been specifically designed for more sporty vehicles and offers the necessary rigidity to guarantee high steering precision that does justice to the vehicle’s driving dynamics and still gently cushions the increased weight of an SUV. To be able to cope with high temperatures the Ventus S1 evo² SUV is exposed to driving at approved speeds of up to 270km/h and the reinforced layers are made of a specially developed heat-resistant hybrid textile. The high rigidity of the lower sidewall also achieves particularly good handling characteristics.

The rolling resistance has been significantly reduced with the aid of a multi-layer tread structure. At the same time, the tread compound enhances wet grip, thus optimally supplementing the safety features of the BMW X3.

The tires also offer a particularly low rolling noise to match the acoustic glazing of the windscreen fitted as standard. The innovative DTM inspired 3-layer block design, with its special staircase arrangement of the outer rib blocks, ensures an improved contact surface even as tire wear progresses, thereby guaranteeing very good traction throughout the entire lifetime of the tire.

“The fact that our summer and winter tires are now being used as original equipment not only for the BMW 7 Series but also for the BMW X3 is a testament to the engineering performance of our tire developers and proof of the high quality of our products,” said Hyun Bum Cho, President & CEO of Hankook Tire. “Hankook Tire’s investment in its own winter testing ground “Technotrac” in Ivalo, Finland, which provides us with a very good basis for the development of winter tires for original fitment as well, is certainly paying off on the European market, which is a very important market for us.”

Like the summer tires, the winter i*cept evo² SUV with the star marking has been designed to provide optimum support for the driving dynamics of the BMW X3 even in wintry weather conditions. Development work focussed particularly on good track performance as well as on low rolling resistance. By minimising block movement and wear, 3D sipes applied to the entire tread area ensure additional driving stability as well as improving the general handling properties with the aid of maximised edge effects. A highly dispersible nano-silica compound is used, which prevents hardening of the tire at low temperatures and thus ensures better grip on wintry and wet roads through greater elasticity of the tire contact area, as shown by the short braking distances. The rolling noise is pleasantly quiet for a winter tire, thus increasing driving comfort and reducing noise pollution for the environment.