Giti Tire introduces first European off-road tyre for high mobility vehicles

Giti Tire has launched its first European off-road truck tyre for high mobility vehicles operating under the most extreme terrains – the Giti GAO897. Available in size 14.00R20, Giti says it designed the tyre to provide outstanding traction on unpaved surfaces, mud, sand, gravel and ice, as well as on the road.

To cover the operational requirements of all target vehicles that operate under hugely varying circumstances, Giti developed the GAO897 to deliver maximum performance across a wide range of air pressures and in temperatures ranging from 55˚c to -40˚c.

Key features include robust blocks and wide longitudinal grooves in combination with a deep pattern design; Giti reports that these “provide excellent traction and superior ability to pass every obstacle in the roughest working terrains.” The tyre maker adds that a technically advanced reinforced tread compound with superior anti-cut properties and high abrasion delivers “excellent resistance against tread chunking and tearing,” while an optimised bead contour ensures easy fitting and enhanced endurance in low pressure running conditions. Including road driving, the tyre’s construction “ensures high lifetime mileage potential,” even for the heaviest applications.

From the desert to the Arctic

“This GAO897 is designed to operate on primarily off-road vehicles from the extremes of the Arctic Circle to the Sahara Desert, and everywhere in-between,” shares Tony McHugh, TBR sales and marketing director UK at Giti Tire. “The optimised tyre construction and consolidated technical solutions ensure high-working, safe application flexibility in every environment, with different pressure settings and temperature ranges a key requirement for every operator.”

Giti Tire adds that the tyre’s credentials have already been proven with two consecutive appearances in the world’s leading extreme off-road events, the 1,300km cross country Rallye Breslau in Poland – an event some refer to as the ‘Dakar of Europe’. Giti-sponsored Truck Team Holten used the GAO897 in 2020 and 2021 on both a modified Mercedes 1622 800HP and a Scania 4×4 630 across some of the most difficult terrains imaginable, with each vehicle only requiring one set of tyres per vehicle per year.

The Giti truck and bus portfolio is developed in conjunction with Giti Tire’s European Research & Development Centre in Hannover, Germany.