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Hankook Tire is quickly expanding OE portfolio of UUHP tires in sports vehicle segment
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Hankook equips the new Porsche Panamera with its sports tire, Hankook Ventus S1 evo Z
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Compound and technology used for racing tire development have been adopted to ensure the best performance under all weathers
Neu-Isenburg, Germany, September 14, 2021
– Global leading tire company Hankook Tire will equip the latest version of the Porsche Panamera with its new Ultra-Ultra-High-Performance (UUHP) tread. Depending on the model or on the customer’s request, bespoke Ventus S1 evo Z tires are used in sizes 265/45 ZR19 105Y XL ND0 for the front axle and 295/40 ZR19 108Y XL ND0 for the rear axle, or 275/40 ZR20 (106Y) XL ND0 at the front and 315/35 ZR20 (110Y) XL ND0 at the rear. In addition to release tests which are customary in this vehicle segment, the mixed tires used for the Porsche Panamera also went through extensive tests at maximum speed on the legendary German Nürburgring Nordschleife racetrack, known as the Green Hell. This ensures robust tire construction that can cope with ‘sporty’ demands at all times.
“The Porsche Panamera is a high-performing four-passenger sports car with exceptional comfort,” says Jeongho Park, Executive Vice President and Director of OE Division at Hankook Tire. “We are very pleased to be the first to equip this model as it proves that our products own a competitive edge in this high-end segment. Additional tires for future Porsche models are already under development at Hankook.”
The Hankook Ventus S1 evo Z was developed specifically for the high-end vehicle segment, which is particularly demanding. It is equipped with an aramide composite material in a double-layer carcass, which prevents deformations that could be caused by heat generation. Tire deformationcan lead to an undesired increase in the rolling circumference and cause less precise driving behavior at high speeds. Aramide fibers are extremely heat-resistant and are characterized by high strength, good damping properties and relatively lightweightness. High-strength steel in the belt and bead areas gives the new Hankook tread additional stability. Combined with the reinforced sidewall, this ensures stability on the straights and steering precision at high and maximum speeds as well as sporty, dynamic handling.
“Our new Ventus S1 evo Z has been specifically developed to boost high-performance of premium segment sports cars under various conditions,” explains Moonhwa Hong, Vice President of OE Development Department. “These tires will support excellent dynamics and comfort of the Porsche Panamera, allowing drivers and passengers to travel as comfortably as possible.”
Team also focused on creating high grip under all kinds of weather conditions for the Ventus S1 evo Z. It adopted tread compound mostly used for racing tires to ensure optimal interaction among fillers, silica and natural resins. The compound includes the latest functional polymers, which allows a consistently high grip across a wide range of applications. The technology used in production process also adopted that of Hankook’s racing tire development, which uses smaller production volumes and material batches. These are processed over significant amount of time so that the materials used in the compound are preserved.
Like Hankook’s other sporty tires, the Ventus S1 evo Z features an asymmetrically designed tread pattern with a focus on sporty handling behavior. The arrangement of individual tread blocks in relation to each other was designed to provide optimum block stiffness in various driving situations. Three main drainage grooves positioned in the inner tread area of the wheel ensure water is drained rapidly on wet roads. In addition, the outer tread area of the tire has been carefully designed to feature a significantly increased tread-positive proportion so that the tire can meet requirements such as high-performance cornering and precise lateral guidance for optimum handling, especially during sporty driving in dry conditions.
The Hankook Ventus S1 evo Z is currently equipped to a number of leading premium manufacturers‘ flagship sporty cars as original equipment tires. It‘s available in 15 sizes ranging from 19 to 21 inches with tread widths between 225 and 315 mm in cross-sections from the 45 to 30 series. In the coming year, additional sizes will further complement the line-up, especially in the high-end range.
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