Metzler launches Feelgreen range
On 27 July Metzeler chose London as the host city for an ‘opening ceremony’ of its own, the global debut of its Feelgreen tyre. The new range, which from 2014 onwards will be supplied as original equipment on BMW’s electric C evolution scooter (120/70 R15 on the front and 160/60 R15 on the rear), is designed with an emphasis on minimising rolling resistance.
Metzeler reports that its tyre engineers managed to build a tyre that is 17 per cent lighter than its Feelfree range, with 25 per cent lower rolling resistance. The tyre maker believes this rolling resistance figure “could be even higher once the current perfecting phase ends.” Other named qualities include the characteristic elements Metzeler says its products are famous for: quick warm-up and excellent handling, which is indispensable for city riding.
Describing the Feelgreen’s design process, Metzeler notes that when a tyre is in motion, the structure tends to deform normally and the elements that make up the tyre, including the compounds, tread, carcass and profile, dissipate energy. Feelgreen was designed with the aid of the F.E.A. technique (Finite Elements Analysis), which uses the concept of “cooperation” between these elements, and defines the best combination of deformation state, material choice and geometries to ensure the least possible dissipation of energy.
The tyre maker says a significant result was obtained, in part, from a high silica content compound, a new tread pattern and a new profile, specifically designed to favour a reduction in rolling resistance. The design of the tread area geometry as well as the tread pattern was fundamental; the pattern was designed to favour rolling, while the longitudinal and transversal grooves were positioned to enhance safety even in wet conditions.
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