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2008 Kia Soul Burner Burns New Kumho Tires Review

April 2008
Filed under: KIA Car News | KIA Headlines

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Kumho Tyres is at the forefront of today’s high performance tyre market and examples of its powers of innovation are these days regularly displayed at motor shows across the globe. The most recent example was last month’s annual Auto Salon in Geneva, where its hi-tech product featured on the three Kia SOUL concept vehicles – the Diva, Burner and Searcher.

Kumho was involved in the project at an early stage. The tyre sizes and tread patterns were all chosen to accentuate the differing characters of the three concepts. The Diva was fitted with 19in 225/45 tyres designed to give the car a strong but elegant stance. The 245/40R19 covers of the Burner had a tread pattern comprised of dragon’s flames designed to accentuate its bold character. The Searcher had equally trend-setting 18in 205/60 tyres that highlighted its neat packaging and city car dimensions.

Concept tyres for concept cars
Kumho is frequently called upon to design and produce prototype tyres for the concept cars of the major motor manufacturers. The work is spearheaded by the company’s R&D headquarters in Korea, operating in conjunction with its technical facilities in the US and the UK.

The Birmingham-based Kumho Europe Technical Centre boasts a secret weapon in the shape of its in-house designer, Rob Dolton. The only qualified vehicle designer employed within the tyre industry, he is retained specifically to explore future technologies for road and track vehicles, and the tyres they run on. A graduate of the internationally renowned Automotive Design Department of Coventry University, he worked for Fiat Advanced Design in Turin before joining Kumho in 2005. He speaks the language of the car manufacturers like no other tyre man.

Other concept vehicles on which Kumho’s cutting edge technology has recently been seen include:
The Holden Coupe 60 - Melbourne 2008
The GMC Denali XT hybrid pickup - Chicago 2008
The bio-ethanol powered Mazda Furai - Detroit 2008
The GM Groove and Trax - New York 2007
The Chevrolet Ultra WTCC - Paris 2006

Epoch by name and nature
Last year, Dolton went a step further and designed an entire car – the environmentally friendly Le Mans racer, Epoch. As you’d expect, the Epoch boasts revolutionary tyre technology. The Maglev electric power train is packaged within the wheel and tyre assembly; whilst the tyres themselves are constructed from an EAP (Electro Active Polymer) which allows the tread and even the shape of the tyres to be fundamentally altered simply by passing an electric current through the rubber. This means the characteristics of the tyre can be altered at will, to suit different racing conditions.

Epoch’s lightweight body panels are formed from tyres – recycled tread rubber. The car’s chassis is constructed from wood that Kumho would cultivate in company owned forests, helping to reduce the carbon footprint of vehicle construction.

The initial unveiling of the Epoch was made in October 2007, since then work has continued on the drive train packaging and design.

Pushing the technology envelope
Said Dolton, “The thinking behind blue sky concepts such as Epoch and the concept tyre development we undertake is clear. Kumho understands the issues that OE vehicle manufacturers face and by developing new technologies and new ways of thinking Kumho can help with developing the vehicles of the future.”

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