Hankook launches Laufenn all-season tyre

Hankook has launched a new all-season tyre for cars and small-to-medium sized SUVs under its Laufenn brand. The Laufenn G FIT 4S features widening grooves and a high grip silica compound for year-round European driving. Hankook is developing its second-line Laufenn brand globally in the consumer and commercial segments, offering an attractive price-performance ratio. The Laufenn G FIT 4S has been developed for price-conscious drivers, allowing them to avoid seasonal tyre changes, while offering solid all-weather performance.

“Our Laufenn brand will be developed further, and we are expanding its product portfolio carefully, wherever necessary and required by market demand,” explains Sanghoon Lee, president of Hankook Tire Europe. “The addition of a new Laufenn all-season pattern for passenger cars and SUV’s is a result of the rising popularity of this segment, particularly in Central and Western Europe.”

Tyre features

Laufenn G FIT 4S (Photo: Hankook)

The Laufenn G Fit 4S incorporates high grip silica and enhancing additives in the tread compound, combined with Hankook’s advanced mixing technology. This provides a reliable level of grip all year round, particularly on wet or slush covered roads. The tyre’s V-shaped tread design incorporates wide aqua grooves that enlarge towards the outside shoulder. As a result, the dispersion of water and slush is accelerated, minimising the risk of aqua- or slush-planing.

To tackle dry roads, the tyre has a wide steel belt package and an equilibrium carcass contour to increase stability and handling. The tyre also has a high hardness bead filler for a precise steering response. A jointless full cover improves handling and tread wear and helps to maximise the tyre’s contact area with the road even at higher speeds. The single strand bead wire is reinforced on the new Laufenn all-season tyre to provide elasticity and regularity for a smooth ride. Interlocking centre blocks ensure greater block stiffness for good stability on both wet and dry roads.

Semi grooves have been arranged over the tread in various angles to maximise edge effects under all conditions including during different steering angles. Linear 3D-sipes across the centre of the tyre tread enhance performance, particularly in snowy conditions, without sacrificing the block stability for good dry performance. 2D waved sipes in the shoulder area support snow traction and braking, while being able to interlock during dry cornering.

The new Laufenn G FIT 4S is certified with the 3PMSF (3 Peak Mountain Snowflake) mark customary for all-season tyres on European roads. It will initially launch in Europe with sizes available from 13 to 18 inches in tread widths from 155 to 235 mm and aspect ratios from series 80 to 40, mainly as extra load versions in speed indices ranging from T to Y.