The latest in fuel-efficient tyre technology has been chosen as original equipment for the just-launched Mazda3.
Mazda specified Toyo's new NanoEnergy R38A tyre on several grades of the wildly popular small car, the new generation of which arrived in showrooms this month.
According to Toyo Tyre & Rubber Australia's Tyre Technical Manager Steve Burke, the key to tyres that suit Mazda's push for greater driver involvement, comfort and fuel efficiency is Toyo's Nano Balance Technology, which applies advanced design techniques to the foundational material in the tyre compound.
"In the past, low rolling-resistance tyres were something of a specialty, but there's now a push for increased fuel efficiency across the board," Mr Burke said.
"By using Nano Balance technology Toyo has pursued seemingly opposing goals for the NanoEnergy range: low noise and rolling resistance, better comfort and tyre life, while at the same time achieving high levels of grip and stability in all conditions.
"By engineering the rubber compound at a molecular level, Toyo has been able to achieve improvements for rolling resistance, grip levels and wear resistance. These characteristics are very difficult to achieve simultaneously without application of advanced new technologies and production techniques.
To model and test new tyre technology such as the NanoEnergy range, Toyo employs its proprietary T-Mode Computer-Aided Design tool, which uses advanced simulations to gauge tyre attributes such as wet and dry grip, rolling resistance, tread noise and steering response.
Toyo's ATOM (Advanced Tyre Operation Module) production system uses an automated process to produce the NanoEnergy range to tightly controlled tolerances, ensuring consistently high-quality tyres.
According to Mr Burke, the combination of materials and design used in the construction of Toyo's NanoEnergy range will challenge many preconceptions about low rolling-resistance tyres.
"The NanoEnergy range, from Mazda's Original Equipment R38A to our soon-to-be-released NanoEnergy 3 tyre, combines performance and efficiency to an extent previously considered mutually exclusive," he said.
New application of materials and design improvements applied to the NanoEnergy 3 casing construction has provided reduced tyre weight for lower rolling resistance.
This also results in improved cornering grip and steering response, without adversely affecting ride comfort.
"NanoEnergy proves that efficient tyres can deliver the high standards expected from one of the world's most highly-regarded car makers," said Mr Burke.
