GENEVA (March 1, 2001) — Goodyear has launched a low rolling resistance tire for the European market that uses a starch-based filler to partially replace carbon black and silica.
The tire, the GT3, will be used by Ford Europe on a special high mileage version of its compact Fiesta, Goodyear said.
Called "BioTRED," the new material is a specially treated version of starch derived from corn, according to Filomeno Corvasce, the Goodyear engineer who developed it.
The material helps lower rolling resistance because its physical properties differ from traditional fillers and its lower specific gravity reduces tire weight and rolling inertia.