Yokohama Tire Technology Cuts Petroleum Use in Tire by 80%

www.greencarcongress.com ^ | 13 Feb 2007 | Staff

[Red Badger]

Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. (YRC)—the seventh-largest tire manufacturer in the world—has developed a process that combines citrus oil with natural rubber to form a new compound it calls Super Nanopower Rubber (SNR). The major component of citrus oil is d-limonene.

The process reduces the use of petroleum products in tires by 80% and is part of YRC’s global EcoMotion environmental program. The first SNR product is the Decibel Super E-Spec, an all-new consumer passenger tire.

The fuel-saving E-Spec tire features an air permeation suppression film, a polymer lining designed to reduce air leakage from the tire, therby helping to maintain appropriate inflation levels.

Underinflated tires consume more power, thus using more fuel. The E-Spec is also a lot lighter and conserves gasoline by reducing rolling resistance by 18 percent. Low rolling resistance tires improve fuel efficiency by minimizing the energy wasted (as heat) as the tire rolls down the road. —Jim MacMaster, executive vice president, Business Division, of Yokohama Tire Corporation

The E-Spec tire featuring the SNR compound will be available in Japan later in the year, but no date has been determined for release in the US market.

[Red Badger]

Orange you glad you bought Yokohama?.............

[Froufrou]

Good article! I've heard more about underinflated tires lately, yet I've not checked mine. Shame on me.

[Red Badger]

Ping!

[TommyDale]

I hope NASCAR waits until it is proven better than the Hoosier tires...

[Abathar]

I am involved in the rubber industry, reducing the amount of petroleum in rubber has seen an industry push for several years now.

Molding the stuff is another story though, most of the stuff I have seen tears way too easily when hot, de-molding it can be a real problem, I wonder how they overcame that, will have to check that out.

[Pondman88]

Super Nanopower Rubber


That's a good name---I'd buy some just based on that!!!

[isthisnickcool]

have you seen Michelins "tweel"?

[GeorgiaDawg32]

Yokohama Rubber Company shows off the "less rubber" tire at a recent car show

[SMARTY]

Aren't they the standard on all Toyotas?

[Dallas59]

You should see the mascots of Hankook Tire Company....

[Abathar]

Yes, a very interesting concept but I haven't heard anything about it for a while. I build rubber molds, but tire molds are a science all their own. It's a very specific niche that has so may trade secrets its darn near impossible to attempt to build one without hiring (stealing) a team to do it from someone else.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Not only that, how will the tires hold up after several thousand miles in different conditions? Hope we're not looking at another batch of Firestones.

[Abathar]

Yowzaaaa!! Haven't seen her at any of the conventions....

[HEY4QDEMS]

What about TWEELS??

[Comstock1]

Just a couple thoughts:

1) Does "reduced rolling resistance" equate to lowered braking ability?
2) Citrus Oil? Is my morning OJ now gonna cost more so someone feels better about the fact they aren't using as much petroleum in their tires?

[antiRepublicrat]

I hope NASCAR waits until it is proven better than the Hoosier tires...

I don't know about that application, but Yokohama was the tire to have for autocross in the 90s. Lotus also contracted specialized tires from Yokohama for its racing-oriented cars, like the Exige and 340R.

[Yo-Yo]

Looks like the wheel used on the Lunar Rover.

[HamiltonJay]

So, we are going to go from needs of less petroleum, back to the needs for more real rubber....

Didn't we invent artificial rubber strictly to get away from the strategic need for it?

Can replace oil in a tire tommorrow with real rubber, hell, that's what all tires were made from prior to WWII if memory serves.

Not discounting the technology, just more curious about it than this little excerpt portrays.

If all they are doing is moving from the artificial rubber from petroleum based products, back to natural rubber as primary ingredient, really haven't accomplished much of anything....

[Abathar]

We have been tweeking rubber compounds for a hundred years, I would be very leery trusting my family to something until it has been on the road for quite a few years. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent engineering rubber compounds that you can guarantee will not fail under certain conditions, I just wonder if all those conditions have been tested with this compound yet.

[Red Badger]

I wonder how they overcame that, will have to check that out.

You put the lime in the coconut, and shake 'em both up........