Researchers from Yokohama Rubber report making progress in a project that may lead to lower external tyre noise and improved tyre aerodynamics. The Yokohama contingent is working together with a team of researchers at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), which is a part of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The team, led by Professor Kozo Fujii, has successfully conducted the world’s first simulation of near real-scale flow structures (turbulence) around a tyre rolling on a road surface and the acoustic waves, or noise, generated from these structures. Yokohama Rubber expresses confidence that the ability to simulate a flow structure that enables precise measurement of acoustic waves opens up potential for new technological breakthroughs, and the company says it will therefore continue to support further research in these areas.