Hankook, Vibram & the Art of Driving/Running

For those of us who aren’t runners, the Vibram toe-shoe running shoes still seem to be absolutely bizarre, even though those runners who I do know who wear them swear by them.

For those of us who prefer driving to running, it is interesting to note that Hankook Tire and Vibram have collaborated on two off-road tire concepts, the DynaMIX and the DynaSYNC.

The DynaMIX uses the Vibram carrarmato design—a.k.a., the lugs on the soles of hiking boots and shoes—as well as the Vibram 3D Cocoon, which is a nylon fiber molded into the tread that helps distribute impact on the tires in rough terrain.

The DynaSYNC is predicated on the Vibram FiveFingers (shouldn’t that be “Toes”?) geometric, multi-directional lugs.

Vibram, incidentally, has come up with a pair of shoes as part of this initiative, DynaSTRYKE BKL and DynaTREK.

As there is increased visible partnering in the automotive space—generally between OEMs and consumer electronics companies—it is good to see that suppliers can get in the game, too.