Taiwan’s Kenda presented at SEMA show, which recently took place in Las Vegas, a new off-road tire model Kenda Klever M/T2 KR629, featuring, as the company says, the most aggressive design in the entire history of the brand.
The company claims that the Klever M/T2 surpasses its predecessor in mud performance, on loose and rocky soil, as well as in terms of lateral stability on dry and wet pavement. The aggressive sidewall design was developed to ensure better protection against cuts, tears and abrasions; there are stone ejectors inserted between the tread blocks. The shoulder lugs are designed to both improve off-road traction, as well as make the tire’s visual appearance more impressive. The tread compound is an improved version of the Klever R/T compound, which is known, among other things, for high resistance to wear.
The newcomer is coming to replace the Kenda Klever M/T model, about which the company said that it was still enjoying a fair bit of popularity but nonetheless came to an end of its life cycle. «We are replacing the first-generation M/T tire precisely because this is a good tire, and extending its model range and improving its performance will allow the new model to become a more attractive choice compared to tires from other brands that have solid positions on the market» — said Brandon Stotsenburg, vice president of automotive sales at Kenda. The market wants a product with premium features and an affordable price, and we compared our tires with the best of the competitors.»
«To develop a tire that meets all the challenging requirements of this segment, we spent two years conducting multiple tests in different conditions, from mud terrain in Arizona and mud tracks in Midwest to California deserts» — added Al Henderson, chief designer engineer for Kenda, USA.
The Kenda Klever M/T2 will be available from early spring in the 20 most popular sizes, and another 13 sizes, including the ones with an outer diameter of 40 and 42 inches, will go on sale by the end of the summer of 2022. According to Stotsenburg, the size range will be approximately the same as that of the Klever R/T, but with a larger number of 16-inch modifications.
He also added that the 35- and 37-inch tires will be available with red lettering on the sidewalls, while the 40-inch version will be made from a special «grippy off-road compound», and the sidewall lettering will be even more prominent.
Quick Take
Kenda Klever M/T2 KR629
- This tire replaced Kenda / Klever M/T KR29
- Available Sizes in Line: 13
- Year Released: 2021
- Regions for sale: USA+
The new tires will be manufactured at the Kenda plant in Vietnam, where the production of all Kenda tires made for North America was relocated this year, due to an increase in import duties on Taiwan-made tires in the United States.
