Tire Tracker: Fitments, testing, innovations

Latest news on fitments, testing and related innovations from the global tire industry:

France: Pirelli P Zero E has been awarded the ‘tire of the year’ Prix Point S award at the 2023 Automobile Awards in Paris. The ultra-high-performance tire won the title for its ‘latest technical innovations’, with over 55% of materials sourced from natural and recycled origins. This, according to Pirelli, led to a 12kg-per-tire reduction in fossil and mineral-derived materials. Furthermore, tire wear, in terms of mass loss, is cut by 42% compared to traditional high-performance Pirelli products.

Japan: Yokohama Rubber is supplying its Advan V61 tires as OE to Lexus for use on the new LBX compact SUV, which were launched in Japan, Europe, Asia and other markets in December. The new LBX is being fitted with 225/55R18 98H and 225/60R17 99H Advan V61 tire, which features “specially tuned tread, side walls and compound that deliver the stable handling and comfortable ride.” The tires were developed using Yokohama’s AI-based development platform HAICoLab, according to the Japanese tire maker.

Japan: Toyo Tire is launching Proxes CF3 - a “low fuel consumption comfort tire” as part of its global flagship tire brand “Proxes” series in Japan in January 2024. The product will come in 46 sizes and will improve both fuel efficiency and wet grip of tires. Toyo said it has used its intelligent tire development platform T-Mode in developing the tire design, which improves braking performance and handling stability. The low noise tire also uses ‘nano balance technology’ for its fuel efficient material design.

Germany: Continental is supplying a range of its tires as OE fitment on the BMW 5 series and i5 electric vehicles. The SportContact 7 is being supplied for sporty driving, while the energy-efficient EcoContact 6 Q summer tire and the WinterContact TS 860 S have been approved for the entire series – both for internal combustion engine vehicles and for the all-electric i5 version.

Japan: Yokohama Rubber is supplying Advan dB V551 and Aspec A349 tires as OE fitment to Honda Motor for use on the car manufacturer´s new minivan, Odyssey. To be launched in Japan in December, the Odyssey is being equipped with the Advan dB V551 in the 225/50R18 95V size, and the Aspec A349 in the 215/60R17 96H size.

China: ZC Rubber has recently supplied 51-inch Tianli-branded sand tires to an unnamed OEM in the Middle East. The all-steel radials are suitable for use on a wide range of desert vehicles. The Tianli Sand Tire-1 is specifically designed for loose soil and sandy terrains and has a reinforced structure to improve strength and load capacity, "enabling a single tire to bear loads exceeding 60 tons at a speed of 20 km/h." Tianli has also incorporated “a highly durable anti-aging technology” into the tire to enable it to withstand high temperatures and humidity.

Japan: Sumitomo Rubber Industries has started the delivery of "e Sport Maxx" Dunlop tires for use as factory standard tires on the new Toyota Crown sedan (both HEV and FCEV models) that were launched in November. The tire was the group’s first commercial EV tire sold in the Chinese market in 2022 and has now been adopted as a factory standard tire in Japan for the first time.

South Korea: Hankook Tire is continuing its partnership with Nissan, supplying the company's “next-generation 2024 Frontier” with two fitments: the all-terrain Dynapro AT2 in size 265/70R17 and the premium all-season Dynapro HT in size P265/70R16. Both fitments will be produced at Hankook's manufacturing plant in Tennessee, US. Hankook has been an OE supplier for the Nissan Frontier since 2015 and the current generation Frontier since 2021. The two companies have collaborated since 2013, providing fitments for models such as the Altima, Pathfinder, Sentra, and Rogue.

Germany: Italian manufacturer of commercial vehicles Iveco has selected Continental as the exclusive tire supplier for its eDaily 42S van. The tire manufacturer will equip the all-electric van with matching VanContact Ultra and VanContact Eco summer tires, VanContact 4 Season all-season tires and VanContact Winter tires.

Japan: Bridgestone received the Airbus supplier award in the sustainability category by Airbus, during a supplier conference in Toulouse, France, last month. The award, said Bridgestone, recognises Bridgestone's efforts to reduce CO2 emissions from manufacturing; value natural resources through recycling and retreading; and working with Airbus to reduce environmental impact across entire lifecycle of aircraft.

Finland: Nokian Tyres has joined the Swedish “Polestar 0” electric vehicle project to create a climate-neutral car by 2030. The project aims to eliminate “all greenhouse gas emissions” from the production and end-of-life of the car. Nokian will contribute to the project by developing “climate-neutral premium tires”. The Finnish tire maker aims to leverage its R&D expertise, and its currently under-construction plant in Romania which is claimed to be “world’s first zero CO2 emission tire factory” for the project.

Japan: Yokohama Rubber is supplying its flagship Advan V35 tires as OE to Porsche AG for the facelift model of the Cayenne premium SUV. The tires are supplied in sizes 285/40R22 110V for the front and 315/35R22 111V for rear. The Cayenne SUVs are also being fitted with Advan Sport V107 ultra-high-performance tires. The Advan V35, according to Yokohama Rubber, has been developed for a “wide range of road conditions” from dry to wet or snowy and bears the “M+S (mud & snow)” marking. The tire is also claimed to enhance fuel efficiency and delivery “superior” drivability.

UK: The National Tyre Distributors Association (NDTA) named Continental as 'tire manufacturer of the year' during a ceremony 19 Oct. The German-basd manufacturer beat off competition from Bridgestone, Hankook, Pirelli and Prometeon Tyres to win the UK industry award. Continental, said NTDA CEO Stefan Hay, demonstrated “excellence and innovation” in product development as well as “across every single aspect of the business”.

Italy: For the current generation of Maserati GranTurismo (GT) vehicles – recently introduced in two versions, with traditional and electric powertrains – Pirelli has developed three specific tire sets, each with different sizes for the front (20") and rear (21"). For warm weather driving, the ICE variant features the Pirelli P Zero, while the GranTurismo Folgore offers the P Zero with an Elect marking, indicating specific technologies for electric cars. The P Zero is produced using advanced virtual modelling and simulation to tailor the tire to each car's characteristics..

Japan: Sumitomo Rubber Industries has started supplying high-performance Falken “Ziex ZE001 A/S” all-season tires to Subaru as OE fitment for the latest Levorg Layback model, unveiled in September. The tires are claimed to provide "all-around high performance", combining "outstanding steering stability" with "excellent fuel efficiency" on both dry roads and snow. 

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