Hankook claims tyre has 25% improvement in rolling resistance

Seoul, South Korea- Hankook Tire Co. Ltd. has developed a car tyre that it claims has 25-percent lower rolling resistance than comparable passenger tyres while offering better wet grip and equal wear. The company also plans to boost research into reunflat tyre design.

The tyre maker plans to roll out the low-rolling resistance tyre, dubbed the fx-Optimo, initially for hybrid vehicles in South Korea.

The 25-percent reduction in rolling resistance translates into a 3-percent increase in fuel efficiency, Hankook said. The tyre also weighs 15 percent less than comparable tyres.

Hankook said it achieved much of the rolling resistance improvement through the use of silica as a reinforcing agent in the tread compound and an advanced computer-modelling program. Hankook said it enhanced the use of silica in the tread by splitting the silica into nano-size pieces, which improves uniformity and efficiency.

The company calls the new technologies the Intelligent Compound System and RR Simulation System; it refers to them collectively as the Hankook Hybrid System and will brand tyres designed this way with an HHS logo.

Hankook said it has invested $10.5 million over the past five years developing the technology.

The firm also said it has been approved by South Korea's domestic vehicle makers to supply tyres to their hybrid vehicles under development. The company next plans to target the European market, which is sensitive to fuel prices.

"Using our advantage as a market leader, we will lead the market for hybrid vehicle tyres," said Hankook Tire CEO Cho Choong-hwan. "In addition, we will step up efforts to increase the performance of runflat tyres which we succeeded in commercialising last year."

From Rubber & Plastics News (A Crain publication)