Date:         Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:29:27 -0400
Reply-To:     The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject:      Re: New tires
In-Reply-To:  <20111012104502.8TKHH.2073925.imail@eastrmwml37>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"

> Inquiry to Kumho resulted in the explanation that the largest market
> for the 857 in the U.S. is as a trailer tire, but that the tire was in
> fact built and designed for vans and buses.  Does a similar situation
> apply for the Hankook RA08?


Exactly. It was designed as a van tire, but in the U.S. market there is little demand for a 14" van tire so it is categorized as a trailer tire. It took me countless discussions with Hankook execs to convince them that there was even a market for them for VW vans here in the U.S. (even though they were selling them for that purpose in the rest of the world). Until then they steadfastly refused to import nearly enough RA08's to meet demand, effectively stifling their own sales by listening to their "marketing guys" instead of their customers.

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  www.busdepot.com
  (215)  234-VWVW

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