Yokohama Tyre Australia BluEarth AE01 eco tyre

Yokohama Tyre Australia has launched its BluEarth AE01 ‘eco tyre’, made with an orange oil and silica nano blend rubber combination, for small to medium cars. The range promotes fuel efficiency and longer life span.

The combination of eco-friendly orange oil derived from orange peel and inert silica makes the tyres nearly 10% lighter, which in turn lowers the fuel usage by around 8-10%. The lower rolling resistance of the tyres means each vehicle requires less power (and thus less fuel) to drive along.

The orange oil replaces some of the petroleum content formerly in the rubber while also keeping the tyre compound soft and flexible at a micro level, so it grips the road well. It is said to work just as well in cold and wet conditions, where tyre rubber traditionally hardens and starts to lose grip.

Features of the eco tyre include: longer than average tyre life; reduced hydroplaning, leading to increased grip in the wet; on average an extra 50 km of distance on a standard fuel tank; multi-task shoulder grooves for more even wear.

The tyre comes in four types: the BluEarth (AE01) car tyre for fuel-efficient driving; the C.drive2 (AC02) car tyre for extra safety on wet roads; the Geolandar SUV (G055) long-lasting tyre for 4x4s and SUVs; the ADVAN A048 race tyre used in the national V8 Ute Racing Series.