Tire manufacturer Yokohama is taking mother nature by surprise with the introduction of new technologies on its lineup of snow tires. Designed to offer safety, performance and confident traction in winter, the technologies allow Yokohama to approach winter driving differently by creating a superior winter tire.
One significant technology found on some of Yokohama's new products is
called shelled micro-bubble technology. In effect, tiny little bubbles, almost like pores, are built into the rubber compound. As the tire travels over ice, the bubbles absorb some of the thin and very slippery layer of water that results, increasing traction and safety.
"The enemy of traction is the thin film of water between the tire tread and the ice," Brad Sherwin, Marketing Manager at Yokohama explains. "The water is actually causing the slippage. Eliminating much of the water between the ice and snow surfaces and the tread increases its friction with the road itself and hence improves traction."
A second cutting edge technology involves an additive to the tire compound to increase the dispersion of silica throughout the rubber. Silica is added to the compound to increase flexibility in a wide range of temperatures, allowing the tire to stick to the road in a variety of conditions. A second compound is combined with the Silica. It's called Zeruma, and it's job is to ensure a more consistent and uniform dispersion of silica throughout the tire. This has benefits in wet-surface traction and tread life.
Both technologies are now available on Yokohama snow tires including the Ice Guard and AVS Winter tires, available for a variety of sizes and applications.
One significant technology found on some of Yokohama's new products is
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| Yokohama Iceguard IG10 (Photo: Yokohama) |
"The enemy of traction is the thin film of water between the tire tread and the ice," Brad Sherwin, Marketing Manager at Yokohama explains. "The water is actually causing the slippage. Eliminating much of the water between the ice and snow surfaces and the tread increases its friction with the road itself and hence improves traction."
A second cutting edge technology involves an additive to the tire compound to increase the dispersion of silica throughout the rubber. Silica is added to the compound to increase flexibility in a wide range of temperatures, allowing the tire to stick to the road in a variety of conditions. A second compound is combined with the Silica. It's called Zeruma, and it's job is to ensure a more consistent and uniform dispersion of silica throughout the tire. This has benefits in wet-surface traction and tread life.
Both technologies are now available on Yokohama snow tires including the Ice Guard and AVS Winter tires, available for a variety of sizes and applications.