Goodyear traction tyres more than 1m wide featuring an ultra-low sidewall design will be easier and quicker to source once manufacturer Titan International has a new facility up and running at its factory in France.

Available for big four-wheel-drive and unequal-wheel tractors, Goodyear Optitrac LSW traction tyre and rim assemblies were previously built only in the US.

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Introducing more local production will ease logistics, allowing dealers to order the tyres in smaller quantities, says Titan, with shorter lead times enabling UK growers to get hold of them in a more timely fashion.

Most versions of the LSW radial traction tyres feature a unique 45deg aspect ratio – the depth of the sidewall relative to the width – allowing wide tread widths within an acceptable overall height.

In Europe, apparently, the most popular combination comprises a 991mm-wide, 1.7m-diameter LSW 1000/45 R32 and a 1,024mm-wide, 2.16m-tall LSW 1100/45 R46, from a range that starts with an LSW 750/45 R30.

The low sidewall structure is designed to make the tyre more resistant to distortion and “traction hop” when used on high-horsepower tractors working a high-torque application such as subsoiling or wide cultivation.

It can also help minimise “lope” or bouncing on the road, says Titan.

At the same time, the tyres can operate at up to 40% lower inflation pressures than a standard tyre carrying the same load, resulting in a long and wide footprint for high levels of traction and least impact on the soil.