Top OE sizes get toppled
Transcription
Top OE sizes get toppled
Facts section: tire size popularity Top OE sizes get toppled But don’t say ‘goodbye’ to P215/60R16 and LT245/75R16 just yet T Chart 23 MOST POPULAR DOMESTIC OE PASSENGER AND LT TIRE SIZES 2009 OE P-Metric/metric Size % of total P215/60R16 9.0% P265/70R17 5.5% P235/70R16 4.5% P215/55R17 4.2% P225/50R17 3.4% 2008 OE P-Metric/metric Size % of total P215/60R16 8.0% P225/50R17 4.8% P265/70R17 3.9% P195/60R15 3.8% P215/55R17 3.6% 2009 OE Light truck (LT) Size % of total LT245/75R16 23.4% LT245/75R17 13.8% LT225/75R16 11.6% LT265/70R17 10.5% LT275/70R18 9.2% 2008 OE Light truck (LT) Size % of total LT245/75R16 36.3% LT225/75R16 16.2% LT265/70R17 9.4% LT245/75R17 6.7% 37x12.50R16.5 4.8% he top 10 P-metric original equipment tire sizes in 2009 accounted for 41.1% of total sizes. That percentage is up from 39.8% in 2008 and 33.8% in 2007. Unfortunately, this trend is not necessarily a sign that dealers will be able to stock fewer SKUS in the future. “Probably the biggest single issue (for dealers and manufacturers) is SKU count, and it’s not going to get any better,” says Rick Brennan, vice president of marketing for Kumho Tire U.S.A. Inc. At last year’s Specialty Equipment Market Association Show in Las Vegas, Nev., Lexani Tires Worldwide LLC introduced two unique sizes to its LX-9 line: 295/23/ R28 109W and 265/25R30 106V. They are labeled as extra-load sizes. In contrast, the top 10 OE LT sizes represented 90.7% of the total sizes, up from 88.6% in 2008. MTD lists the most popular OE P-metric and LT sizes for 2009 and 2008 (see Chart 23) to give tire dealers a better idea of what to look for and stock in 2011. For example, dealers can expect to see vehicles with size P215/60R16 roll into their dealerships over the next few years. That size had been the most popular P-metric OE size since 2004. The streak was broken in 2010, when P265/70R17 took over the top OE spot (see Chart 24). It jumped from third in 2008 to second in Chart 24 TOP U.S. PASSENGER TIRE SIZES, 2010 2009 to first last year, with P215/60R16 falling to second. Two P-metric OE sizes entered the top 10 in 2009: P275/55R20 (eighth) and P275/65R18 (10th). Both sizes had a resurgence of sorts; they were among the 10 most popular sizes in 2007. Size LT245/75R16 was the top OE LT size for the 17th consecutive year in 2009. However, size LT245/75R17 had been trending upward for years, almost doubling its shipments from 2008, when it was the fourth most popular OE LT size, to 2009, when it was the second most popular. In 2010, the 17-inch version finally overtook the LT245/75R16 for the top OE spot (see Chart 25). At the replacement level, the top P-metric remained the same in 2010: P225/60R16. However, P235/75R15, runner-up in 2009, dropped to fourth in 2010, behind 205/55R16, a metric size, and P215/60R16. Like its OE counterpart, the LT 245/75R16 replacement size also dropped from one to two. However, the new number one size is not LT245/75R17, which didn’t crack the top five, but LT265/75R16. ■ Chart 25 TOP U.S. LIGHT TRUCK TIRE SIZES, 2010 Replacement OE 1. LT265/75R16 1. LT245/75R17 2. LT245/75R16 1. LT225/75R16 Replacement OE 3. LT265/70R17 3. LT245/75R16 1. P225/60R16 1. P265/70R17 4. LT235/85R16 4. LT275/65R18 2. 205/55R16 1. P215/60R16 5. LT285/75R16 5. LT245/75R16 3. P215/60R16 3. P205/55R16 4. P235/75R15 4. P225/50R17 5. P265/70R17 5. P215/55R17 Source: Rubber Manufacturers Association 50 MTD January 2011