Hankook Points to Tyre Tests to Confirm Rolling Resistance Qualities

The latest 18-inch UHP wide-base tyre test published in Germany’s leading automotive consumer magazine “Auto Bild” shows that paying attention to rolling resistance does not necessarily have to come attached to an unacceptable sacrifice in the areas of handling or braking. Hankook in particular is pleased with the results of this test, having not only achieved an overall “good” test result, but also coming out ahead of its competitors in the rolling resistance category. At the same time the experts testing the tyres attested that the braking performance of Hankook’s new UHP wide-base tyres was excellent both in dry and wet road conditions. In addition, the Ventus V12 evo also impressed the testers with its noise level on rough roads, something that has generally been a problem with wide-base tyres, but is becoming increasingly important because of reported health dangers stemming from the considerable noise created by road traffic. The test was carried out using 225/40 R18tyres fitted to the latest version of the Mercedes-Benz C class.

The Hankook tyre was found to have a rolling resistance that performs an average of 8.5 per cent ahead of all its competitors. On the basis of fuel consumption of 10 litres per 100 km in the EU norm cycle and an annual distance of 15,000 km, this equals a potential fuel saving of approximately 20 litres, as well as a reduction to the environment of 48 kg CO2 compared to other tested brands. By way of direct comparison with the performance in the rolling resistance-category of the worst tyres tested under identical conditions, a possible saving of 36.6 litres of fuel and a CO2 reduction of 87.8 kg could be estimated. Set against the normal life of a tyre of the same dimensions over the course of approximately 40,000 km, a possible saving of something approaching 263.4 kg CO2 (around 6.5 g CO2/km) and 150 euros per set of tyres).

Of crucial importance to a vehicle’s emission of CO2 and fuel consumption is its average road resistance. On the basis of the usual norm cycle mix of town, country and motorway journeys, the rolling resistance of a vehicle’s tyres contributes approximately 16 per cent to its overall road resistance and thus also to its fuel consumption. The term “rolling resistance” covers all properties of a tyre that generate heat when in use, thus restricting energy. Therefore rolling resistance occurs, above all, in the deflecting parts of the tyre when in use, especially on the shoulder and lower sidewall (bead area). In this area the Ventus V12 evo benefits from a patented Hankook SCCT-contour (stiffness control contour theory), which is designed to ensure the best possible ground contact pressure and reduces the deflection of the tread’s centre and shoulder to a minimum. This is yet another, says Hankook, excellent example of the company’s own Kontrol technology development concept in action.

“Our aim is to develop tyres that offer the best possible way of protecting the environment to the consumer, but of course without any reduction in quality, performance and, above all, safety,” Seung-Do Jin, Hankook Tire executive vice president and COO in Europe. “This is precisely what our development of Kontrol-Technology stands for. The results achieved by the Ventus V12 evo in the independent test carried out by the Auto Bild-magazine in Germany, particularly with regard to those criteria of relevance to environmental protection, provide impressive evidence that even in the sensitive high-end segment of ultra high performance tyres, a meaningful contribution can be made to a reduction in the emission of CO2 and in noise.”