GKN Wheels launched a new high-performance wheel in 2018  to meet the demanding requirements of high-load capacity vehicles.  The new wheel is capable of taking tyres with 13 bar pressure.

Developed by our engineering team specifically to meet the requirements of one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of aircraft tow tractors, capable of moving the new larger generations of aircraft such as the Boeing 777 and Airbus A380.

The solution lay in GKN Wheels’ market-leading, patented Heat Impact Forming (HIF) manufacturing technology, which through a combination of forging and machining technology, enables the company to manufacture multi-piece wheels that are 50% stronger than conventionally designed wheels.

Having agreed the design, GKN Wheels manufactured prototype wheels which were subjected to a series of operational tests, with a range of data captured to measure the impact of the tyre pressure and loads on the wheel rim. We believe this will not only deliver benefits to OE but also for operators in container ports and underground mines. These applications are similarly space-constrained, but they also share a requirement for high load capacity wheels with high tyre inflation pressure.