Accuride Intros Wheel With the Strength of Steel and Weight Similar to Aluminum

    EVANSVILLE, Ind.--March 5, 2002--Today, Accuride Corporation introduced its 65-pound Lightweight Steel Wheel at the TMC Truck Show in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The use of high-strength, low-alloy steel coupled with engineering design and process allows Accuride to offer a lightweight steel wheel featuring the economy and strength of a standard steel wheel and weight similar to an aluminum wheel.
    "Accuride's new Lightweight Steel wheel provides numerous benefits. In addition to its light weight allowing owners and fleets to increase payload and to incur fuel savings, the Powder Topcoat that is standard on this wheel improves its appearance and greatly enhances corrosion protection, thus lowering operating costs," explained Larry Taylor, Accuride's Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
    When replacing a competitor's standard steel wheel, weighing 82 pounds, Accuride's Lightweight Steel Wheel, weighing 65 pounds, would reduce overall truck and trailer weight by 306 pounds.
    In addition, since the wheel has a 10 hand hole design which is similar to the industry standard aluminum, it can replace an aluminum wheel as an inner dual, with no appearance change and at a significant cost savings.
    "At Accuride, we don't have a bias toward any single wheel material. And, because of that, we are able to develop creative alternatives, like substituting our Lightweight Steel Wheel for the inner drive duals, to save money for owners and fleets who usually specify aluminum in all positions," said Bill Greubel, Accuride's President and CEO.
    Accuride's 22.5" x 8.25" HSLA Light Weight Steel Wheel is available for standard hub-mount applications and is Powder Topcoated in standard white, gray, or black with custom colors available. The wheel weighs approximately 65 pounds with a maximum load rating of 7,400 pounds.
    Accuride Corporation is North America's largest manufacturer and supplier of wheels for heavy/medium trucks and trailers. The Company offers the broadest product line in the North American heavy/medium wheel industry and is the only North American manufacturer and supplier of both steel and forged aluminum heavy/medium wheels. Accuride Corporation also produces wheels for military, buses, commercial light trucks and sport utility vehicles, and for passenger cars. Accuride Corporation has steel wheel operations in Henderson, Kentucky; London, Ontario, Canada; and in Monterrey, Mexico. Accuride has aluminum wheel operations in Erie, Pennsylvania, and Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Additionally, the Company produces tire molds at its Erie, Pennsylvania, facility. Accuride is also involved in a commercial tire and wheel assembly joint venture in Springfield, Ohio, and Talbotville, Ontario, Canada. For more information, visit Accuride's website at http://www.accuridecorp.com.