ACCORDING to Yokohama, most tyre companies are focusing on fuel saving tyres alone. With Yokohama’s latest eco-tyre, the fuel efficient factor bottoms out to reduced fuel bills by allowing the user to drive further on a tank of fuel.
The BluEarth AE01, Yokohama’s claim to car tyre for everyday driving, replaced the Yokohama A.drive “conventional tyre”. The A.drive was Yokohama’s biggest seller in 13 to 16-inch tyre sizes, which suit small to medium cars, says the firm. The quiet tyre is economical and long lasting, and achieves over 60,000 kilometres of tyre life.
Yokohama conducted a comparative fuel economy test between the company’s A.drive against the new BluEarth, fitting them to identical Toyota Corollas, with pressures set at the manufacturer’s recommendation (33psi), and driving from Sydney to Yass and back, the 515-kilometre round trip was done on cruise control, to remove the driver as a variable, with one car trailing the other by at least 100 meters so it didn’t benefit from an aerodynamic tow.
It found that the car fitted with the A.drive used 30.50 litres of fue, whilst the one fitted with the Yokohama BluEarth AE01 used 28.22 litres of fuel. With the Toyota’s 50-litre fuel tank the car fitted with the A.drives could travel 844 kilometres per tank and the car fitted with the BluEarth AE01 could travel 912 kilometres per tank, translating to 8% or 68 kilometres further on a tank of fuel.
Citing the company’s website, the BluEarth AE01 was also tested independently at urban speeds where the fuel savings were even greater, and it has been found that the eco-tyre could go 10% further on a tank of fuel.