Bridgestone, Sumitomo secure Toyota Prius OE fitments

AICHI, Japan — Bridgestone Corp. and Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (SRI) have secured original-equipment fitments on the 2023 Toyota Prius hybrid passenger vehicle, joining Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. as contracted OE suppliers.

The fitments are for the latest generation Prius, which went on sale in January. Toyota lists the 17-inch size as OE on the LE versions and the 19-inch size as OE on the Limited editions.

The fifth-generation Prius employs a wide and low stance with large-diameter tires to create stylish designs that appeal to the senses, Bridgestone said. With the fifth-generation hybrid system and second-generation TNGA platform, the new Prius delivers a comfortable driving performance.

Bridgestone's fitments are three models from its Ecopia line, built with the company's "Enliten" and "ologoic" technologies, while Sumitomo is supplying its high-performance Dunlop Enasave EC350+.

Bridgestone is supplying Toyota with the Ecopia EP510 and EP150 for vehicles in Japan, Asia and Europe and the Ecopia EP422 for those sold in North America.

These tires feature Bridgestone's Enliten tire technology, which maximizes both environmental and driving performance of tires and ologic, which improves fuel efficiency with large diameter and narrow tread width.

The Ecopia-brand tires for the new Prius use materials that reduce rolling resistance, in line with the goals of the Enliten technology, and the 19-inch EP510 tires employ the ologic fuel-efficient tire technology that features a large diameter and narrow tread width.

SRNA also touts the fuel-efficient characteristics of its Dunlop Enasave EC350+ tires, which benefit from the use of a rubber compound that incorporates a macromolecular polymer and "grip-improving agent" to provide all-around high performance when it comes to fuel efficiency, wear resistance and handling on wet roads.

The tire's tread pattern is designed to enhance performance on wet roads while also reducing the amount of noise that the tires emit.

Toyota earlier disclosed a pair of OE fitments on the Prius from Yokohama's BluEarth line of tires — BluEarth-FE AE30 in size 195/60R17 90H and BluEarth-GT AE51 in size 195/50R19 88H.