Tire Makers Work to Develop Product Lines That Promote Greater Fuel Efficiency

This story appears in the June 5 print edition of Transport Topics.

Tire makers say they continue to develop more fuel-efficient products ahead of tighter greenhouse gas emissions standards.

Goodyear introduced its Fuel Max Technology, which uses a combination of tire construction, compounding and tread design to decrease tire rolling resistance “well before the EPA launched the SmartWay program,” said Brian Buckham, general manager of product marketing.

“We also believe that we are in a strong position to meet increasingly stringent fuel economy regulations presented by GHG Phase 2 with our latest Fuel Max longhaul and regional tire lines, including the Goodyear Fuel Max RSA,” he said.

Buckham added, “Trailer tire technology — just like drive and steer tire technology — continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of fleets.”

Goodyear offers several trailer-axle tires and retread products that feature its low-rolling-resistance technology, he said. For example, the Goodyear Fuel Max LHT, G316 LHT Fuel Max, G316 LHT DuraSeal + Fuel Max and the wide-base G394 SST DuraSeal + Fuel Max are SmartWay-verified and feature Goodyear’s Fuel Max technology, which contains low-rolling-resistance compounds, tire construction and tread designs, Buckham said. The newer Goodyear Marathon LHT, introduced last year, also incorporates low-rolling-resistance compounds and is SmartWay-verified, he said.

Goodyear is “constantly developing technologies and designs to minimize performance trade-offs in our trailer, steer and drive tires,” Buckham said.

“The need for new truck tires and retreads that deliver even lower levels of rolling resistance will only grow,” he added, “which is why we are investing even more resources in developing tires that help reduce fuel consumption.”

Michelin said that well before greenhouse gas emission standards and SmartWay targets, the company has focused on developing truck tires with low rolling resistance for customers who value fuel economy.

Examples include the development of new energy compounds, optimized tread designs and wide-base single tires.

Michelin offers the X Line Energy T, X One Line Energy T and X One Multi Energy T trailer tires, which are low rolling resistance and SmartWay-verified, the company said. The Michelin X Line Energy Z for linehaul steer applications was launched in 2016. The SmartWay-verified tire “is guaranteed to deliver 20% more mileage than leading competitor linehaul steer tires while also delivering 5% better rolling resistance,” Michelin said.

Michelin said it is committed to improving the fuel efficiency of its products and to safe, clean, connected mobility.

Yokohama Tire Corp. is focusing on increasing fuel efficiency with its new BluEarth product line, said Tom Clauer, corporate manager of product planning for the commercial and over-the-road divisions. The initial offering was BluEarth 709L UWB Drive, introduced in 2016, he said.

The company is advancing its line to further reduce rolling resistance in its products “while maintaining core customer product needs such as mileage, traction and durability,” Clauer said.

One of the goals of each successive product is to reduce rolling resistance by 10-18%, he said. The BluEarth product line will be designed as Yokohama’s most fuel-efficient products, Clauer said.

Bridgestone and Cooper Tire declined to comment.