When it comes to developing a tire that can take on tough terrain, such as exploring trails or crawling rocks, engineers at Goodyear say they “left no stone unturned” when developing the new Wrangler MT/R tire with Kevlar. Due to be available in March, it is the company’s first off-road tire built with DuPont’s Kevlar material for enhanced sidewall puncture resistance.

The use of Kevlar, which is reportedly pound-for-pound five times stronger than steel, brings superb sidewall cut- and puncture-resistance to an area of the tire that demands extra toughness when driving off-road, according to Melissa Montisano, Goodyear’s general manager for light truck tires. It also helps reinforce the sidewall for when drivers return to the pavement for the drive home.

“The new Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar updates the legendary off-road performing namesake, which has had a great reputation among serious off-roaders,” Montisano says. “This new tire will certainly get the attention of anyone who takes off-road traction seriously.”

The Kevlar-reinforced sidewalls in the new tire help increase sidewall puncture resistance by 35 percent when compared to the original Wrangler MT/R, she notes.

The new release also includes a “wraparound” tread for enhanced sidewall traction in deep mud, sand and rocks; an asymmetric tread design that offers aggressive off-road traction while maintaining handling on the road; and advanced rubber silica in the tread for better off-road and wet traction, says Montisano.

Each shoulder block is stepped “in” and “out” to help give the tire continuous biting edges as it turns through thick mud. Its self-cleaning asymmetric tread design also adds to the performance capability in mud.

It will be offered in 30 sizes, fitting vehicles such as 1/2-, 3/4- and 1-ton pickups, the Hummer H2 and H3, Jeep Wrangler, Nissan Xterra and the Toyota FJ Cruiser, among others.

According to Goodyear research, there are more than four million drivers in the light truck tire segment who use their vehicles primarily for off-road travel.

For more information, visit www.goodyeartires.com.