Optima Sports Announces New Camber Tire Technology --

WALES, Wis., May 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Optima Sports LLC, a local automotive and sports technology company, announces the release of the new patented CamberTire invention, which introduces a trapezoid profile and asymmetrical sidewalls into conventional tire design, bringing extensive benefits including handling/braking performance, safety and fuel efficiency.  Camber designs can be utilized on any on-road and off-road vehicles with independent suspension or those with non-driven solid axle(s) – virtually impacting every tire category on the market today.  The company's CamberTire brings major benefits to the automotive, over-the-road and trailer industries without production and distribution barriers, requiring only tire mold alterations and adjustments to alignment settings.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100513/CG03771)

Introducing camber into a tire, and eliminating the need to have toe-in alignment settings, brings significant benefits including improved fuel efficiency, enhanced handling and performance and improved safety with decreased incidence of rollovers (ex SUVs). Environmental benefits are significant as well, with improved realized mileage due to a reduction in rolling resistance and wind profile, extended tire life and less material usage allowing narrower tire profiles to achieve desired handling characteristics with less weight.

The revolutionary camber tire design has broad market applications for every automobile category, over-the-road trucks (semi) and vehicles with non-driven solid axle vehicles, such as trailers or mini-vans.

CamberTire design benefits provide a new level of control, traction and sensitivity to high-performance, touring and every day tire applications including automobiles, SUVs, conventional trucks, recreational vehicles, semis, trailers, and a number of other off-road applications such as outdoor sports vehicles, construction equipment, and lawn and garden and agricultural equipment.

According to John Robinson Scott, the company owner and the CamberTire inventor, "This advancement will revolutionize the tire industry and we are ready to bring it to market," he said. "'The benefits this design offers are significant to a traditionally slow changing industry – we have, literally, reinvented the wheel."  

Scott's CamberTire patent includes any tires with a constantly decreasing diameter from one sidewall to the other.  The patent covers any tires manufactured with any degree of camber.  A recently filed second utility patent covers all conceivable methods for uniform camber tire production.

Don Sherman, technical editor of Automobile Magazine and contributor for the New York Times, recently conducted track tests of two-degree camber tires with 140 tread wear rating at two Midwest test tracks to compare them to conventional "square" tires.  The results were extremely positive. "Now that we have enjoyed a few miles over the road on these tires and had the chance to conduct two preliminary performance tests, we are more convinced that the camber tire concept is worthy of our acclaim," as stated by Sherman in a recent online Automobile Magazine article.  The publication also rated the CamberTire as one of ten most significant emerging technologies in the June issue of the magazine.

Scott's company has been in prototype partnership with M & H Racemaster, a division of Interco Tire Corporation located in Rayne, LA, under a Cooperative Development Agreement to produce prototype tires and conduct the first industry testing.  The first round of two-degree camber tires produced easily passed DOT testing.  High speed tests met V rated performance requirements, the highest test rating available through M&H, but the prototype tires were built to meet or exceed Z rated performance.  

Optima Sports is working with M&H to contract manufacture jointly-branded performance street CamberTires in multiple categories and provide Optima Sports distribution of M&H built CamberTires for sales throughout the world.  M&H Racemaster plans to license CamberTire rights for their drag racing line.  "We have seen excellent results so far as we have optimized the production process.  Adopting the camber tire technology can provide us with the competitive edge we are looking for in several types of racing," explained Tom Lorden, general manager of M&H.  "The camber tire design is likely to be the most significant advancement to tire performance since the introduction of radial tires.  We are researching applications in all of our product lines. "

Although Scott's company is initially going to market with several sizes targeting the high performance niche, its near term plans include producing additional molds to expand the product line into more conventional tire size applications, as well as additional licensing agreements with tire manufacturers and exclusive OEM fitment agreements with car, truck and trailer manufacturers.  Optima Sports is also considering outside investment opportunities to rapidly expand operations and market penetration.

Optima Sports LLC, which was originally incorporated in 1986 as Evolution Sports and reincorporated in 1994 under its current name, is dedicated to engineering new technologies and products in the automobile, tire power sports and sports apparel industries with enhanced designs that optimize performance and functionality and drive significant paradigm shifts.  Although the CamberTire technology is the company's current focus, Scott and his engineering team are working on new designs and patents to further improve current and evolving industry product offerings as well as expand the company's intellectual property portfolio.

SOURCE Optima Sports LLC