Hankook is a tire brand you may not have heard of, but is turning heads in the design and technology world. Established in 1941 as the first tire manufacturer in Korea, the company has since grown and now has production facilities throughout the world, including the United States, China and Indonesia. This tire brand has been garnering interest for several years now, and in 2012 began supplying BMW with OE tires for all their vehicles as well as becoming an official sponsor of the UEFA soccer league, and most recently celebrated the grand reopening of its manufacturing plant in the US.
The reigning principle behind Hankook’s manufacturing processes is called Hankook Kontrol Technology. This technology, which encompasses both the manufacturing and testing procedures for all tires produced by Hankook, is a company-wide philosophy that binds the company’s research, development and production processes to produce tires. To delve further, according to the company’s website, the K of Kontrol, stands for Kinetic, which means movement. Each of Hankook’s tires are created with the kinetic movement philosophy, meaning the tires are considered a major part of the total driving experience that exists between the car, the driver and the road.
Hankook has received several international design awards for its tires, including winning the reddot award in 2020 for both its Dynapro AT2 and MT2 product lines, and has been cited several times by major international design and technology competitions. The Hankook Kontrol Technology encompasses four main factors, including performance, safety, comfort and a commitment to the environment, the main features which are outlined below.
Hankook Kontrol Technology Performance:
To ensure top level performance on its tires, Hankook uses what it calls the Optimized Contact Patch, which is a design system that tests the contact point between the road and the tire to ensure balanced pressure on the tread. These tests allow Hankook’s engineers to measure how, based on the weight of different vehicles, the road and the tire surface will harmonically interact with each other.
Hankook Kontrol Technology Safety:
Nothing is more important during driving than the safety of the driver and passengers. With Hankook Kontrol Technology the focus on safety is a prime concern. One major issue with wet roads and tires is the incidence of hydroplaning, which can be a very dangerous situation for a driver. The engineers at Hankook have spent significant time delving into the issue of hydroplaning, and have created their tire surface and the materials used to manufacture the tire to specifically avoid this kind of problem. In addition, these tires also include proprietary technologies such as Stone Ejection Technology, Dynamic Profile Control Technology and the development of tire tread patterns for optimum driving in snowy conditions.
Hankook Kontrol Technology Comfort:
Le troisième aspect le plus important de la fabrication des pneus, selon Hankook, est la question du confort. Avec la technologie Kontrol Hankook, le fabricant recherche et développe des moyens de réduire le bruit des pneus – un problème majeur qui peut contribuer au confort du conducteur – surtout si vous conduisez une voiture relativement silencieuse comme un véhicule électrique. Les ingénieurs de Hankook ont passé du temps à étudier la quantité de bruit émis par leurs pneus dans un laboratoire de sonorisation, puis ils effectuent des essais en conditions réelles sur le terrain d’essai nommé G’Trac. Ils s’attachent également à réduire la quantité de vibrations transmises par les pneus Hankook. Pour cela, le fabricant utilise sa technologie de contrôle des vibrations spécialement développée pour diagnostiquer et corriger les niveaux de vibration de leurs pneus sur la route.
The third most important aspect to manufacturing tires, according to Hankook, is the issue of comfort. With Hankook’s Kontrol Technology, the company researches and develops ways to reduce tire noise – a major issue that can contribute to driver comfort – especially if you are driving a relatively quiet car such as an electric vehicle. The engineers at Hankook have spent time studying the amount of noise emitted from their tires in a sound lab, and then conducts real-life trials of this noise on their G’Trac proving ground. There is also attention spent to reducing the amount of vibration transmitted by Hankook tires, and the company uses its specially developed Vibration Control Technology to diagnose and fix vibration levels of their tires on the road.
Hankook Kontrol Technology Environment:
The fourth main aspect of Hankook’s Kontrol Technology is an important one: The environment. One way Hankook focuses on the environment is to ensure that their tires are as fuel efficient as possible – thus reducing the need for fossil fuels, and help reduce carbon dioxide emissions. They have created a tire material that is made from rubber and silica that they feel improves the rotation of each tire, without affecting tire performance. As well, the company is reducing its dependence on oil by-products by using more eco-friendly materials in the manufacture of their tires.
As you can see, the team at Hankook takes tires very seriously, focusing on four main tenets of production: performance, safety, comfort and the environment. To learn more about these tires, and other tires suitable for your vehicle, please reach out to the team at blackcircles Canada. Our friendly and knowledgeable team will be happy to share with you our knowledge on Hankook tires, as well as the numerous other brands that we sell on our website.
