Kia-Nexen Collaboration: HTX2 Tire Validation
The ROADIAN HTX2 tire customized by Nexen Tire for the Kia Tasman pickup truck takes "all-season adaptability" as its core research and development concept, and integrates multiple patented technologies to achieve a leap in performance.
Its innovative 3D groove pattern design adopts an asymmetric arrangement structure, and the groove depth is 15% greater than that of traditional tires.
The "biting edge" effect enhances the contact area between the tread and the ground. In the snow test, this design increased the tire traction by 22% and shortened the wet braking distance by 18%, effectively solving the problem of pickup trucks skidding due to load.
The optimization of the heat dissipation structure is aimed at high-load scenarios of pickup trucks driving at high speeds.
A nano-level thermal conductive silicone layer is embedded in the tire carcass, and a spiral steel belt layer is used to control the tread temperature at high speeds below 85°C (the industry average is 100°C). According to data from the Korea Tire Testing Institute, this design reduces the tire wear rate by 30% after driving at 90km/h for 6 hours. The special tread rubber compound uses a composite formula of aramid fiber and silane coupling agent, with a
Shore hardness of 68A (ordinary pickup tires are 62A), which not only ensures the anti-cutting ability of mountain roads, but also reduces the noise of urban paved roads by 5 decibels through molecular chain elasticity adjustment.
ROADIAN HTX2's reliability verification covers typical landforms on three continents. In the cross-validation wear test in the Appalachian Mountains in North America, the tire completed 100,000 kilometers of simulated driving with a load of 3.5 tons, and the tread pattern depth retention rate reached 72%, far exceeding the industry standard of 50%; in the -25℃ environment of the Gangwon-do snow test site in South Korea, the tire passed 50 consecutive rapid acceleration-braking cycles, and the tread rubber did not crack.
The most challenging off-road test was conducted in the Atacama Desert in Chile: when crossing a 200mm deep gravel pothole, the puncture-proof armor layer on the tire sidewall successfully resisted the impact of sharp rocks; when climbing a 20% steep slope, the "step lock" effect of the 3D groove provided a ground pressure of 3.2kg/cm², ensuring the vehicle's grip on loose sand.
In response to the complex road conditions in Latin America, Nexans specially designed a "three-stage verification system": first, a low-oxygen aging test at an altitude of 3,000 meters was conducted on the Mexican plateau, then a continuous 72-hour wading drive (water depth of 1.2 meters) was completed in the Brazilian rainforest, and finally, the adaptability to sudden temperature changes from -15℃ to 40℃ was verified on the Patagonia Plateau in Argentina.
Test data showed that the performance attenuation rate of ROADIAN HTX2 in extreme environments was only 12%, far lower than the 25% of competing products.
For Kia, this cooperation is a key layout for its Tasman pickup truck to enter the American market. The annual sales volume of pickup trucks in the Americas exceeds 6 million, of which 78% are models that are suitable for all-season tires. Consumers have a significant demand for "all-weather reliability" of tires.
The head of Kia's North American market pointed out: "ROADIAN HTX2's performance stability in the temperature range of -30℃ to 50℃ perfectly matches the climate span of North America from Alaska to Florida."
Nexen has successfully entered the high-end pickup truck market through original equipment - its market share in the Americas was only 3.2% before, and the cooperation with Kia is expected to increase its North American supporting business revenue by 40%.
From an industry perspective, this cooperation breaks the inherent pattern of traditional pickup truck tires of "heavy load and light comfort".
Compared with Goodyear Wrangler and Michelin LTX series, ROADIAN HTX2's urban road noise is reduced by 3 decibels, but the off-road tire noise is increased by 5% (through the formation of "low-frequency noise reduction waves" through the arrangement of specific tread blocks), achieving a balance between "highway quietness" and "off-road recognition".
This differentiated positioning makes Nexen stand out among the tires of competing products such as Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado.
The cooperation between Kia and Nexen is not just a simple supply of original parts, but a model for the entire industry - see how tire technology and automotive products are deeply integrated!
