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Sears, Roebuck Introduces Tire Engineered To Last 100,000 Miles    

9 July 1999

Sears, Roebuck Introduces Tire Engineered To Last 100,000 Miles    

                 RoadHandler Voyager LX Goes on Sale July 11

    HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., July 9 -- Sears, Roebuck and Co.
has introduced the RoadHandler Voyager LX, a premium touring radial
tire for passenger cars and minivans engineered to last 100,000 miles.
    (Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990709/FLFFNS1
    PR Newswire Photo Desk, 888-776-6555 or 201-369-3467)
    The new tire, on sale at Sears Auto Centers beginning July 11, has a
predicted treadlife that is among the longest in the industry.  Sears backs 22
of the 25 tire sizes with a 100,000 mile limited treadwear warranty, while
three sizes, 50 and two 55 aspect tires, carry Sears 70,000 mile limited
treadwear warranty.  To maintain the warranty, tires need periodic rotations
and alignments to help ensure smooth tread wear.
    "We believe RoadHandler Voyager LX is the best all-around tire on the
market today," said William C. White, president of Sears Tire Group, the
nation's largest retailer of tires and batteries.  "We say the Voyager LX
could outlast your car and, today, when cars are designed to last many years
and travel many miles, that is an impressive claim."
    Powerful computer modeling applications were used in the design of
RoadHandler Voyager LX, which rates high for durability but also for handling
and traction in snow or rain and for quiet operation.
    Engineers gave the newest RoadHandler a unique tread pattern with two
aquachannels, deep shoulder slots and dense blading to push aside large
volumes of water and snow.  For better handling, the new tire has a square
footprint that puts uniform pressure on the pavement side to side and end to
end to promote even tread wear.
    Computer simulation even tuned out bothersome harmonics to reduce road
noise.
    Four RoadHandler Voyager LX tires were installed on a Dodge Intrepid and
road tested in Texas under severe wear conditions on all types of terrain.
The tires were tested with various loads on city roads and highways, in level
and hilly areas and in dry and wet conditions.  "The tire successfully
completed 100,000 actual miles with tread to spare," White said.
    For information about the Sears RoadHandler Voyager LX tire, write Sears,
Roebuck and Co., 3333 Beverly Road, BC-103B, Hoffman Estates, IL 60179 or
access the company's web site, http://www.sears.com .  Sears, Roebuck and Co. is a
leading U.S. retailer of apparel, home and automotive products and services
with annual revenues of more than $41 billion.  The company serves families
throughout the country through 850 full-line department stores in more than
2,100 specialized retail locations nationwide.