SEMA Scraps: 15-series tire from Nexen barely holds air
Nexen 365/15-24 tire - Click above for image gallery
While in Vegas for SEMA this year, we did our best to concentrate on the cars... and occasionally their hostesses. We deliberately stayed away from the thousands of individual products being introduced in order to spend more time on the cars, trucks, bikes and Snowbarus. Well, maybe we should have looked a little more closely at the products, or at the very least the wheels and tires. If we had spent more time in the lower level of the South Hall, we might have noticed a rather large crowd around the Nexen booth.
While the name might not be a household word, Nexen is a company with more than 50 years of tire-making experience under its steel belt. As impressive as that might be, it's not the reason everyone was standing around, mouths agape. The focus of their attention was a new tire by Nexen, one with an impressive 365 mm width and 24 inch diameter. As ridiculous as those numbers might be, they pale in comparison to the middle number in the equation.
You see, Nexen was showing off the very first 15-series tire. That's right, the world's first and only 365/15R24 tire. If you thought 35s looked like rubber bands wrapped around 19- and 20-inch wheels, this thing looks like a smear of black paint on that two-footer. We shudder to think of what the ride quality might be like, but we seriously doubt there will be any sidewall flex, mainly because there's no sidewall.
Gallery: Nexen 365/15R24 tire
[Source: Nexen via Consumer Reports]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
amdforever 1:05PM (11/13/2009)
I thought this post is about rims... until I notice the think strip of rubber around it.
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James 10:47AM (11/14/2009)
Nexen tires, huh...looks like it's "Nex(en)" to nothing.
Rick 11:59AM (11/16/2009)
What tire?
Shiftright 1:08PM (11/13/2009)
Looks stupid, reminds me of a modern wagon wheel. I'm sure it's completely ineffective too.
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Aki 2:23PM (11/13/2009)
Haha, that's what I was about to post. Looks like the ol' horse carriage days. Even bicycles have more rubber than this.
adrian 2:37PM (11/13/2009)
Better book an appointment with the dentist.
Tony 6:02PM (11/13/2009)
You're wrong! Bicycles don't have more rubber than these tires but there's more air in the bike tire.
James 10:50AM (11/14/2009)
"That's right, the world's first and only 365/15R24 tire..."
Hope it would also be the..last.
Matt 1:09PM (11/13/2009)
Man, how would you mount those?
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atc98092 1:11PM (11/13/2009)
My thoughts exactly. How do they get them on there???
JSams4131 1:25PM (11/13/2009)
my thoughts exactly I've mounted plenty of tires and I could only imagine the feat that is mounting a 15 series tire...
the wagon wheel comment is hillarious..we put rubber on our wagon wheels to increase its efficieny (modern day tires and wheel for the slow ones); definately a step towards vanity...but one in the wrong direction
LaserRed38 1:40PM (11/13/2009)
It's probably a strip of rubber that they wrapped around the wheel and glued together at the bottom where the stand is, so you can't see it!
Rocketboy 4:40PM (11/13/2009)
They use plasti-dip, and scrape the 'rubber' off of the rim face.
787B 3:31PM (11/13/2009)
It's a three-piece rim -- take it apart, put the halves through the tire, bolt it together.
ForgedInternals 1:11PM (11/13/2009)
But what are they going to amor-all on a daily basis now?
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Swordman 1:13PM (11/13/2009)
Rims and rubber.....I'm sure there's a homophobic joke in there somewhere.
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Coolio 1:19PM (11/13/2009)
LMFAO !!!
homunculus 1:13PM (11/13/2009)
the rubber tire officially jumped the shark.
bring on the twheel.
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Kitko 3:26PM (11/13/2009)
Actually, black paint scored a major victory....
Bobmarley 1:13PM (11/13/2009)
dang dawg those would look fire on mah avalanche
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