Pirelli adding Formula truck tire brand in North America

Louisville, Kentucky — Pirelli Tire North America is adding a second-tier associate brand, Formula, to its truck tire portfolio as it begins to roll out its commercial tire range to customers in the US and Canada.

The Formula brand will complement the Pirelli brand as a value-priced Tier II offering, Pirelli said at the start of the Mid America Trucking Show (MATS), which runs through 25 March at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville.

Pirelli is exhibiting under the TP Commercial Solutions LLC sales and marketing entity that will handle the firm's radial truck, agricultural and OTR tire lines.

TP is showing a range of Pirelli- and Formula-brand products at MATS that have been undergoing a rigorous research, development and testing process for the past year with multiple fleets in multiple applications to develop tires for the specific needs of the US market, according to Clif Armstrong, president, TP Commercial Solutions.

Among the products being launched are the Pentathlon — Pirelli's premium long-haul product family in the US/Canada — G:85 on-/off-road line and FH:01 motor coach for buses.

Specific products being shown at MATS include:

Pentathlon D — a premium long-haul drive tire that is SmartWay verified. As the name connotes, Pirelli said, this tire has five distinct areas that distinguish it: high mileage, energy efficiency, even wear, high traction and retreadability.

The Pentathlon D Incorporates a dual-layer tread compound; an undertread compound developed to yield low rolling resistance/fuel consumption, a directional tread pattern for wet and dry grip; and Pirelli's patented SATT (Spiral Advanced Technology for Truck) technology and Hexa Bead Wire for enhanced retreadability.

FG:85 and TG:85 — steer and drive on-/off-road applications, respectively. The G:85 Series comes in an all-position rib product and a more aggressive drive companion, Pirelli said, designed with enhanced structural integrity to deal with stress factors and lacerations.

FH:01 Motor Coach — designed to handle both long-haul and regional applications, the all-position FH:01's features include durability and a smooth ride, Pirelli said. An optimised tread pattern promotes steering precision and grip on both dry and wet surfaces, while a patented shoulder tread contour allows even distribution of pressure for even wear and high mileage.

Formula Driver II All Position rib — the associate brand incorporates Pirelli SATT technology, engineered to enhance uniformity of wear, tire life, handling characteristics and retreadability, the company said. It will start with limited sizes and then expand to a full product line.

Pirelli disclosed plans at last year's MATS to begin offering commercial truck and bus tires in the US and Canada through TP Commercial Solutions.

At that time, Armstrong said Pirelli's move to expand its truck tire business to North America was a corporate decision based on the Italian company's belief that its commercial segment needed to be operating globally, not just regionally as it currently does.

"All of these products offer best-in-class benefits for North American fleet needs" Armstrong said. "We look forward to building relationships and discussing our products' features and benefits in-depth at the show."