TOKYO — Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (SRI) is targeting 2024 for the launch of its next-gen all-season tires with "active tread" technology — incorporating rubber that SRI claims can change properties according to road conditions.
Originally announced in 2017 under SRI's "Smart Tyre" research and development initiative, active tread technology will be able to adapt to changing road conditions, SRI claims, such as during the transition from dry to wet or wet to icy, etc.
Sumitomo said in 2017 that developing such technology would be a safety enhancement, ensuring uninterrupted safe driving when faced with sudden changes in road conditions during automated driving.
The company, which goes to market using the Dunlop, Falken and Ohtsu brands, disclosed the timetable for rolling out tires employing this technology in its 2023-27 Mid-Term Strategy plan. In that document, SRI notes that all-season tires represent 85% of the tire aftermarket in North America, 25% in Europe and 10% in Japan.
The Kobe-based tire maker didn't indicate, however, in which market or markets it would launch the new tire line first.
The use of rubber that SRI claims will be able to modify its properties will be combined with other elements of the company's "Sensing Core" technology that transforms tires into sensors by installing a proprietary algorithm in a vehicle's braking system.
Sensing Core is reported to be able to detect slipperiness and other road conditions as well as tire conditions such as wear, load and air pressure. These data are collected and processed not only for vehicle control purposes, but also for cloud-based big data analysis.
Next up on the development curve will be the next-gen EV range, which SRI expects to be market-ready by 2027.
This range of tires is expected to have 30% less rolling resistance and be up to 20% lighter, SRI said, while incorporating the advancements associated with the Sensing Core technology plus reduced noise generation thanks to SRI's Silent Core technology.
