The number of truck tires verified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as meeting its SmartWay Transport Partnership energy-efficient product targets has grown to 68 from eight manufacturers.
The most recent tires verified are from Bridgestone Americas, Double Coin Holdings Ltd. and Yokohama Tire Corp.
Created in 2004, the SmartWay program is a long-term initiative for truck fleets of all sizes and purpose to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions. Among other things, the program recommends OE and replacement tires for optimum fuel efficiency.
To be certified for the SmartWay program, tires must achieve at least 3-percent better fuel economy than the average “best-selling” new tire in its category.
The Bridgestone tires newly verified are the Bridgestone R260F and R250F and Firestone-brand FT455 PLUS trailer tire, bringing the number of Bridgestone- and Firestone-brand commercial tires now qualified to 15 .
The R260F and R250F radials are designed specifically for long-time use on pickup-and-delivery vehicles used in package and parcel delivery, beverage hauling, grocery, food service and other similar operations, said Chris Hoffman, manager, TBR & retread product marketing for Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions.
This is key, he said, because most of the tires previously approved for the program are long-distance radials not designed for urban and local delivery operations.
The Firestone FT455 PLUS trailer tire is based on the FT455 but gains rolling resistance advantages by the addition of innovative cap, base and sidewall compounding, Mr. Hoffman said. The tire is a five-rib design with 12/32-inch tread depth. It's being rolled out in a 295/75R22.5 size with a “G” load rating.
“With traditional tandem drive tractors pulling single trailers, our research has found about 43 percent of tire fuel economy was attributable to trailer tire,” Mr. Hoffman said.
“Selecting the right tire for the job helps our fleet customers cut their cost per mile while meeting the technology recommendations of the SmartWay transportation partnership.”
The Double Coin tire verified is the FT105 trailer tire, according to China Manufacturers Alliance L.L.C. (CMA), the tire's North American distributor.
The FT105 is part of Double Coin's fuel-efficient tire lineup, which includes FR605 steer-position and FD405 drive-position radials, CMA said. The line of tires uses advanced tread compounds and internal construction to provide lower rolling resistance and longer mileage.
The FT105 is a collaborative effort between CMA staff in China and in North America, said CMA Vice President Aaron Murphy.
“The FT105 was designed from scratch to meet requirements of the several markets,” Mr. Murphy said. “In both the replacement and OEM channels, this type of product from Double Coin was required by the most progressive organizations as a means to bring additional value to their customers.”
The number of Yokohama SmartWay-verified truck tires stands at seven following the recent addition of four tires—101ZL and 103ZR steer tires, RY587 trailer tire and the TY517MC2 drive tire—to the list.
The 101ZL and 103ZR steer tires are part of Yokohama's Zenvironment line, which consists of ultra high-tech truck tires that last longer and are more fuel efficient.
Other tire makers with SmartWay-approved tires are: Continental Tire the Americas; Goodyear (Dunlop and Goodyear brands); Hankook Tire America Corp.; Michelin North America Inc. (BFGoodrich and Michelin brands); and Toyo Tire (U.S.A.) Corp.
The EPA maintains a list of verified tires on its Web site: www.epa.gov/smartway/transport/what-smartway/verified-technologies.htm.
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