World’s First Orange Oil-Infused Passenger Tire
Eco-focused tire is 80 percent petroleum free and helps save gas
Ever since vulcanized rubber was invented in 1844, tires have been manufactured using mostly petroleum. With today’s introduction of the all-new Yokohama dB Super E-spec™ – the world’s first orange oil-infused passenger car tire, which is composed of 80 percent non-petroleum based materials – Yokohama Tire Corporation has effectively re-invented the tire.
“The eco-focused dB Super E-spec mixes sustainable orange oil and natural rubber to drastically cut the use of petroleum, without compromising performance,” said Dan King, Yokohama vice president of sales. “It also helps consumers save money at the gas pump by improving fuel efficiency via a 20-percent reduction in rolling resistance. With these innovations, the dB Super E-spec could very well be the most technologically-advanced tire ever produced.”
Added Mark Chung, Yokohama director, corporate strategy and planning, “The dB Super E-spec and orange oil technology fit match our overall company mandate to produce world-class products while protecting the environment. Every gallon of gas saved by the tire means 20 fewer pounds of CO2 released into the atmosphere, and because the dB Super E-spec is made from natural elements, most of its material is derived from renewable resources. No other tire on the market comes close to offering these environmental benefits along with superior performance.”
“The idea of combining oil from orange peels with natural rubber was originally conceived by our racing engineers,” said Chung. “The same orange oil technology, which improves a tire’s grip, can be seen today with our ADVAN® ENV-R1TM racing tire on Porsche GT3 Cup cars. The ENV-R1 (the official spec tire of the Patron GT3 Challenge by Yokohama) is the first environmentally-sensitive race tire used in a motorsports series.”
Yokohama is a strong supporter of the tire care and safety guidelines established by the Rubber Manufacturers Association and the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration. Details can be found at the “Taking Care of Your Tires” section at www.yokohamatire.com.