Reading: Rolling Resistance

A recent tyre test organised by “Auto Bild”, Germany’s leading motoring magazine, has confirmed that low rolling resistance tyres need not necessarily compromise quality in areas such as braking and handling.

The test focussed on 18 inch UHP wide-based tyres, and the results were particularly pleasing for Hankook, who achieved a”good” standard across the board. Hankook’s tyres took the top spot for low rolling resistance, but they also garnered praise for their braking efficiency in both wet and dry conditions. Furthermore, the Ventus V12 evo seems to have overcome the problem of high noise levels, which tends to plague the wide tyre sector.

The tests showed that the Hankook tyres had a rolling resistance that was 8.5 percent lower than its nearest rivals. This would translate to an annual saving of 20 litres of fuel per year, and a reduction of 48 kg of CO2 emissions. By comparison with the worst performing tyres within the category, these savings would increase to 36.6 litres less fuel per annum and 87.8 kg less CO2.

Hankook’s success in this category of tyres is attributable to its patented”Stiffness Control Contour Theory”. This guarantees excellent ground contact and minimises deflection of the centre and shoulder of the tread. This reduces the amount of heat generated during driving, which in turn lowers rolling resistance.

According to Seung-Do Jin, Hankook Tire executive vice president and COO in Europe,”Our aim is to develop tyres that offer the best possible way of protecting the environment to the consumer, but of course without any reduction in quality, performance and, above all, safety”. He was extremely pleased with the results of the German test, commenting,”This is precisely what our development of Kontrol-Technology stands for. The results achieved by the Ventus V12 evo in the independent test carried out by the Auto Bild-magazine in Germany, particularly with regard to those criteria of relevance to environmental protection, provide impressive evidence that even in the sensitive high-end segment of ultra high performance tyres, a meaningful contribution can be made to a reduction in the emission of CO2 and in noise.”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 at 10:47 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.