2008 SEMA Show: The tire industry feels the pinch of a soured economy

Where else can you see nearly every major tire manufacturer under one roof, but at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas? This year, like the previous 12 years, the CR tire team went to the show and visited with the tire manufacturers, discussing current and new tire models we’re thinking about testing. The next program, by the way, will cover regular all-season and winter tires for cars -- due out in November 2009.

Every year at SEMA there seems to be a particular theme that we pick up on, and this year it was how companies were dealing with the poor economy. Some major tire manufacturers, including Bridgestone, Goodyear, Kumho, and Michelin, were no-shows. Even some companies that were present were only there because they already paid for the expensive booth space at the show. But the omission of these larger tire manufacturers gave the spotlight to smaller and well-respected companies like Cooper, Dunlop, Falken, Hankook, Nitto, and Toyo to name a few. It also allowed for some newcomers like Maxxis and Nankang to get some attention as well.

In other areas, the annual craze of larger wheels (and tires to fit them) has seemed to run its course, and bling seems as old as some of the muscle cars that were on display. Ridiculously large-diameter wheels and tires are extremely expensive for common folks to buy and not many vehicles can accept some of the outrageous plus-size tires and wheels. The Hummer H2 is among the few vehicles that can handle such hardware, but it too seems out of place in this new era of widely fluctuating gas prices and energy consciousness.

One trend that may grow is the development of ecology-friendly tires. These are developed from the ground up, optimized for ultra-low rolling resistance and are designed to save money at the gas pump, as well as incorporating environmentally friendly manufacturing processes and materials. Hankook is touting development of its enfren tire line which it says can improve fuel economy by 2 percent. Yokohama also showed the dB Super E-spec, a tire that saves fuel and is made with some natural materials in lieu of petroleum-based products. Even Cooper took the wraps off its first low rolling resistance tire called GFE (Greater Fuel Efficiency). Don’t rush out to buy any of these tires just yet. Some or all will likely find there way to the market place in limited sizes to fit hybrid vehicles. We’ll be watching this segment closely.

We also noted how anxious tire companies were about how the state of California and the federal government will proceed with their attempts to grade tires for rolling resistance. Government agencies are moving ahead with programs to provide consumer information on tire efficiency. Tire makers warn that low rolling resistance is a worthy consideration when shopping for a new tire, but they warn that consumers need to understand some of the key trade-offs, notably in lower wet grip and tread-life.

Finally, a truly revolutionary airless tire and wheel system was shown at the Cooper exhibit. Cooper teamed up with Resilient Technologies to produce a tire tread mounted to a honeycomb wheel designed to fit military vehicles. No air required means this design can operate reliably in the harsh conditions of war. Think of it as Cooper’s answer to Michelin’s airless Tweel concept.

--Gene Petersen and Jennifer Stockburger

Read about more cars, gear, news, and views from SEMA.  Find the best tires for your vehicle. And join the discussion on our Tiretalk forum (available to subscribers).