Yokohama Set to Offer Citrus Oil-Made Tyre

(Akron/Tire Review) When life hands you lemons, make lemonade, so the old saying goes. For Yokohama Rubber Co., citrus oil may hold the key to reducing petroleum content in its tyres, reducing production costs and reducing impacts on the environment. The company says its has developed a process that combines citrus oil with natural rubber to form a new compound, which it calls Super Nanopower Rubber (SNR), that cuts the use of petroleum products in tires by 80 per cent.

The company’s first SNR-produced tyre is the Decibel Super E-Spec, an all-new passenger tyre. The development of SNR, said Yokohama, is part of its global EcoMotion environmental program.

The E-Spec tyre, according to Jim McMaster, executive vice president of Yokohama Tire Corp. in the U.S., features an air permeation suppression innerliner film designed to reduce air seepage and helping maintain proper inflation levels.

“The E-Spec is also a lot lighter and conserves gasoline by reducing rolling resistance by 18%. Low rolling resistance tyres improve fuel efficiency by minimizing the energy wasted (as heat) as the tire rolls down the road,” McMaster said.

McMaster said no date has been set for the release of E-Spec in the U.S., but the tyre will be available in Japan later in the year.