You may not be a vegan, but your tires could soon move in that direction.
I know most folks, and that includes a fair number of enthusiasts, don’t care that much about their tires. You buy them, install them, roll on down the road until they wear out, the end. They are a critical element of your car, nonetheless, and Goodyear is bringing a fresh design that’s meant to be far better for the environment. In fact, this tire boasts 90% sustainable material content, while the manufacturer has a goal to introduce a 100% sustainable tire by 2030.
Your average, everyday modern tire will use a host of synthetic materials with rubber and steel to balance traction, rolling resistance, treadwear and noise, as well as overall durability.
This time around, though Goodyear divulged some information on the sustainable materials it’s using to build a more environmentally friendly tire. Among 17 key ingredients, you’ll find soybean oil, pine resin and rice husks to keep the tire pliable and improve grip without resorting to harmful compounds. However, tire manufacturers never share a whole lot of detail on their designs due to trade secret concerns, so there are still plenty of questions.
For example, how well these tires will stand the test of time and actually perform in everyday use remains to be seen.
Goodyear did say the demonstration tire “passed all internal tests” needed to certify its on-road use. While the company says these sustainable tires will be better for rolling resistance (and therefore fuel economy and/or range), that doesn’t mean much without some real-world perspective.
It may be awhile before we know how well these tires hold up. At the moment, Goodyear is working on phasing in more sustainable materials into the lineup. A 70% sustainable tire will be on the market later this year. There’s currently no near-term timeline for when we could see the 90% sustainable tire on the market, though we will hopefully have some more information to chew on until then. Maybe while snacking on some soybeans.
