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What’s Treading with Tire Review

What’s Treading with Tire Review

By: Babcox Media
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 What’s Treading with Tire Review brings you the latest tire industry trends, issues, technology and shop management practices among dealers in the industry today.Copyright Babcox Media
Episodes
  • Nexen N’Priz S and N’Fera Sport In-Depth Tire Review

    Nexen N’Priz S and N’Fera Sport In-Depth Tire Review
    Feb 3 2026
    This video reviews two new passenger tire launches from Nexen Tire, offering a detailed Nexen N’Priz S and N’Fera Sport review while also explaining how the company is using artificial intelligence in modern tire development.

    Nexen N'Priz S Review

    The Nexen N’Priz S is a grand touring all-season tire designed for modern vehicles, including electric vehicles, hybrids, and internal-combustion vehicles. Nexen identifies the N’Priz S as its first EV-compatible tire, engineered to manage higher vehicle weight, instant torque delivery, and reduced noise expectations common to electric vehicles. The tire features a wider contact patch compared to the previous generation, which helps distribute load more evenly for improved braking, stability, and wear. Nexen also incorporated variable-pitch shoulder blocks to reduce pattern noise. Plus, its 4D compound technology and 3D sipe design help maintain traction across temperature changes and light winter conditions.

    The N’Priz S replaces the Roadian GTX, Aria AH7, and N’Priz AH8 in Nexen’s lineup.
    It carries an 80,000-mile treadwear warranty for ICE vehicles and a 60,000-mile warranty for EV applications.

    Nexen N'Fera Sport Review

    The Nexen N’Fera Sport is a premium ultra-high-performance summer tire developed to meet European OE performance expectations. Nexen focused on high-speed stability, wet braking, and steering precision by using a stiffer shoulder design, a reinforced center block, and a new tread compound with increased silica content and updated polymer chemistry. The tire uses a four-channel longitudinal groove design to evacuate water efficiently at speed. Elements such as a jointless bead wire, high-hardness bead filler, and high-tensile steel belt help maintain stability under load.
    The N’Fera Sport is offered in 63 sizes and includes a 30,000-mile treadwear warranty. The tire has also received a Red Dot Design Award.

    How is Nexen Tire Using AI?

    Beyond the product reviews, the video explains how Nexen Tire is applying artificial intelligence and machine learning in tire development. Nexen engineers describe AI as a tool that analyzes large datasets from tire specifications, compounds, construction variables, simulations, and testing.

    Nexen maintains a global database with data from approximately 190,000 tire designs. This database allows proprietary AI systems to predict outcomes, evaluate design changes, and help engineers reach targets faster.

    Aaron Neumann, head of Nexen’s America’s Technical Center, explains that AI does not replace engineers. It does not make independent design decisions. Instead, AI supports development by accelerating analysis and improving early-stage decision-making.

    This Nexen N’Priz S and N’Fera Sport review provides dealers, industry professionals, and performance-focused drivers a detailed look at Nexen’s latest all-season and UHP tire technology with Nexen N’Priz S and N’Fera Sport review. It also explains how AI influences tire design, testing, and future product development at Nexen Tire.
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    14 mins
  • How the HawkEye Elite X Helps Tire Dealers Prepare for ADAS Growth

    How the HawkEye Elite X Helps Tire Dealers Prepare for ADAS Growth
    Jan 20 2026
    Today, we take you inside Hunter Engineering’s St. Louis headquarters for an in-depth look at the Hunter HawkEye Elite X, the company’s latest expandable alignment system designed to future-proof shops as ADAS work becomes unavoidable. Hunter’s Wheel Alignment Product Engineer, Alan Hagerty, joins Tire Review’s David Sickels to break down what the “X” really means for tire dealers: more storage, more capability, and a built-in upgrade path that lets a shop buy top-tier alignment technology today and add static ADAS calibration when they’re ready.

    Alan walks through how the system retains Hunter’s quick-grip, time-tested alignment tech while bringing new flexibility to the bay. The Elite X ships with Hunter’s ADASLink scan tool, allowing shops to perform mechanical alignments, steering resets, and dynamic ADAS calibrations without changing bays. That combination gives dealers a way to handle the majority of forward-facing calibration needs while building confidence before stepping into full static calibration setups.

    For shops worried about space, Alan explains why most dealers start with dynamic calibrations and how the mobile, wheeled design of the Elite X helps them reconfigure the bay as needed – even rolling the unit aside for static calibrations when the time comes. Alan also outlines who the system serves. He explains the ROI considerations behind adding ADAS capability. He shows how Hunter’s team supports the upgrade process from start to finish.

    Whether you’re already doing high volumes of alignments or evaluating ADAS as a new revenue stream, this episode breaks down how the Hunter HawkEye Elite X helps tire dealers grow by easily adding ADAS calibration to an existing alignment system.

    Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
    Hunter Engineering: www.hunter.com
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    9 mins
  • Testing Three Hankook Dynapro Tires Through the Great Smoky Mountains

    Testing Three Hankook Dynapro Tires Through the Great Smoky Mountains
    Jan 6 2026
    What can real trail time in the Great Smoky Mountains reveal about where today’s light-truck tires truly fit?

    In this episode of What’s Treading, Tire Review heads to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, for a hands-on ride and drive featuring three Hankook Tire Dynapro tires: the Dynapro AT2 Xtreme, Dynapro MT2, and Dynapro XT.

    We got the opportunity to test and compare how each tire handled on-road driving and off-road terrain. See the testing conditions, compare performance differences, and hear Robert Nasca, product and sales training manager, and K.C. Jensen, VP of U.S. PC/LT sales, explain how each tire fits drivers who split time between pavement, dirt, and rocky terrain.
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    7 mins
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