Ultimate Performance and Durability: World High Altitude Records with Alliance 392 HD

January 14, 2020

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Originally developed for agricultural vehicles such as trailers, balers, spreader trucks, tankers and comparable machines, the Alliance 392 HD recently gave evidence of its outstanding performance and reliability under truly extreme conditions. Two Unimog trucks mounted with Alliance 392 HD tires reached a height of 6.685 metres during an expedition on the Chilean volcano Ojos del Salado. Climbing up so far meant setting a new, and double, record: Despite extreme slopes, sharp-edged rocks and crusted ice, the two Mercedes-Benz Unimog 5023 expedition trucks on Alliance 392 went higher than any vehicle ever went before!

All-time record for wheeled vehicles

One of the two Unimogs even reached 6,694 metres on 13^th December 2019, thus climbing higher than any wheeled vehicle ever did before. “After checking and transferring the provided GPS data, photos, videos and navigation scripts and entering this data in height maps of the Ojos del Salado, there is no doubt that with the Unimog and Alliance tires, the car high altitude record was surpassed. The new ultimate high-altitude record mark can be given as 6,694 meters”, reported a happy Matthias Jeschke, head of this expedition. And he added: “The current sets of tires are the very best. It is the unbelievably most perfect tire technology for this mission, as neither stones nor ice were able to damage these tires. Perfect!”

The “mission behind the record”
During a previous High Altitude Expedition in 2017, Matthias Jeschke and his team had installed mountain refuge huts at 5,200 and 6,100 metres, the latter being the highest mountain refuge hut worldwide. These shelters since support both scientists of the University of Atacama who perform research on the volcano Ojos del Salado, and mountain climbers who explore the fascinating landscape. One key objective of the 2019 expedition now was to install live-saving solar-powered emergency radio communication systems in the high mountain shelters. Sponsored by Alliance Tire Group together with its German distributor Bohnenkamp, Jeschke’s team successfully fulfilled this mission and even set new records along the way!

Heavy work load
The two Unimog, specially fit and configured for this expedition, had to carry quite an impressive load. This included all expedition and special equipment, four solar-powered communication systems, satellite technology, food supply for the team for five weeks, 1,800 liters of freshwater, 1,500 liters of diesel fuel as well as 600 liters of petrol – thus making for a demanding load for the tires.

Tires made to endure the extreme
The heavy flotation tire Alliance 392 HD is an all-steel radial tire made for demanding applications, equally suitable for drive and non-drive axles. In size 24R20.5 176F TL, this tire gave evidence of its top performance, durability and reliability under very adverse conditions: temperatures between -30°C and +35°C, sharp-edged lava rock, volcanic sand as well as crusted snow and ice along with steep slopes made for extremely difficult terrain. This achievement proves again the genius of Alliance engineering expertise and the ability to create unique tires for the most challenging conditions.

Even though farming operations do not take place on such high mountain sides, the impressive deliverables during this expedition make for a top recommendation: With its F speed rating, top on-road performance and excellent off-road characteristics such as high flotation, high load carrying capacity, low soil compaction, high stability at all speeds, and a lower rate of wear, the Alliance 392 HD also is the top choice for farmers and agricultural contractors.