Coming this June from Cooper Tire is the Work Series all-weather drive tire for regional fleets. The open-shoulder design feature 26/32ndsof tread depth and a wide footprint for long miles to removal.

The drive tire, introduced at February’s annual meeting of the Technology & Maintenance Council in Atlanta, has wide snow groves separating the three inner tread blocks with the outside ribs. That feature allows snow to pack in the tire, enhancing traction.

The tire is also Three Peak Mountain Snowflake-certified, verifying outstanding all-weather performance, according to Cooper.

“This is a very unique tread package that was really tailored for fleets running in the worst of conditions,” said Gary Schroeder, executive director of Cooper’s Global Truck and Bus Tire Business.

“And, it’s our first commercial tire to feature Cooper’s Snow Groove Technology,” he continued. “Extensive testing showed the combination of the tread design and snow grooves gave the performance we were after in order to be a top tire performer in this segment of the market.”

The tread blocks are staggered and zig-zagged for better traction in all weather conditions. Shoulder pockets mounded into the outer tread blocks provide additional traction “bite” in tough driving conditions, the company pointed out.

Cooper also noted that shoulder tie bars support the shoulder ribs and help to combat irregular wear, while stone ejectors between the tread blocks fight stone drilling and protect the casing.

When released in June, the tire will be available in 295/75R22.5 LR G, 11R22.5 LR H, and 11R24.5 LR H sizes.