Press Release
May. 25, 2009
Award for Technical Development
Osaka, Japan-May 25, 2009- TOYO TIRE & RUBBER Co., LTD. (President and CEO: Kenji Nakakura) hereby announces that it has won the prize of "Award for Technical Development" in cooperation with Honda R&D Co.,Ltd. This was commended by the Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan, Inc.
The 59th award ceremony took place in Pacifico Yokohama at 13:00 on May 21, 2009.
The prize is awarded to individual members or associate developers who have developed new products or new technologies useful in the advancement of automotive technologies.
| Theme | Research on Optimization of Viscoelastic Properties of Tire Tread Rubber to Reduce Rolling Resistance and Decrease Braking Distance |
| Awardees | Emiko Mogi (Honda R&D Co., Ltd.) Researcher Tetusya Mizone (Honda R&D Co., Ltd.) Senior Researcher Koji Nishitani (Honda R&D Co., Ltd.) Senior Researcher Hiroyuki Hase (Honda R&D Co., Ltd.) Senior Researcher Tamotsu Mizutani (Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd.) O.E.Tire Development Project Manager |
| Reasons for the award | The tire tread shrinks upon contact with the ground. Energy is lost through this constant repetition of shrinkage and expansion. Materials that minimize energy loss improve fuel efficiency but hinder braking power, and the opposite is true for materials that increase this energy loss. Trying to find the best mix of materials to increase both functions was a challenge, until recent research taught us that the way a tire's tread is "used" differs between cruising and braking. During braking, significant burden is placed on the outside of the tire tread. By applying materials that increase energy loss to this specific part of the tire, we were able to increase stopping power. Through the combination of these materials, together with an optimization of the tire's cross-sectional structure and better pressure distribution at the contact patch, we were also able to improve fuel efficiency by 1.5% * *Measured using the 10-15 test cycle of the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism |
These technologies have been applied to the TRANPATH A20 (215/60 R17 96H). This tire has been on Honda Crossroad (2.0L model) since 2007 as original equipment.
Toyo Tire Corporation
Corporate Communications Dept.
Hyogo Head office Telephone: +81-72-789-9100 Facsimile: +81-72-773-3272
