Better fuel economy also means lower greenhouse emissions.
The importance of tyres to overall vehicle behaviour is often underestimated. Tyres provide the points of contact between vehicle and the road, and make a major contribution to cornering, braking, ride, noise levels, overall performance and fuel economy. In much the way the shape of a car affects its aerodynamic efficiency, the construction of a tyre influences rolling resistance or friction. The less resistance, the less fuel is required by the vehicle riding on those tyres. Better fuel economy also means lower greenhouse emissions.
Here is a fact that might surprise you. Tyre rolling resistance accounts for 20 per cent of fuel consumed by your car.
Hankook Tyre, the seventh-largest tyre manufacturer in the world has introduced a revolutionary range of low rolling-resistance tyres. The company claims that its new silica products can yield fuel economy improvements of up to five per cent. That means if your car currently averages 10 litres per 100 kilometres, you might see an improvement to 9.5 or 9.6.
Under the brand name enfren, this new range of low rolling-resistance tyres is a product of Hankook Tyre's Kontrol Technology development cycle. enfren combines a number of technologies to help improve fuel economy by as much as five per cent, resulting in a reduction of CO2 emissions.
Australia is the first market in the world outside Korea to receive the new enfren technology. The local release of the Hankook enfren tyre range reiterates the growing importance of the Australian market to Hankook Tire.
According to official Korean Automotive Institute testing, fitting Hankook enfren tyres to a car can reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 4.1 g/km. Over a ten year life span, a car with enfren tyres will emit up to 820kg less CO2 than the same car on conventional tyres
The Hankook enfren tyre has advanced the use of silica compound technology in tyres. Improved rolling-resistance and reduced energy consumption is complemented by Hankook's continued focus on performance and safety.
While a small number of tyre companies produce tyres boasting silica compound, not all silica tyres are created equal.
Hankook utilises 100 per cent pure silica, special bonding agents and mixing technology to ensure the best and most even silica dispersal and a better overall performance.
In independent control tests conducted in Europe by testing agency TUV Europe, the Hankook enfren tyre showed a rolling-resistance coefficient of 8.32 compared with a conventional tyre of the same with a coefficient of 10.54. This represents a 21 per cent reduction in rolling-resistance coefficient.
In a real world test conducted in Australia using a pair of identical Hyundai i30s and verified by motorsport officials, Hankook enfren tyres returned a five per cent fuel consumption advantage over conventional steel belt radials.
Hankook Tyre Australia's managing director, Mr Paul Park, says the introduction of the Hankook enfren tyre is a significant step in the evolution of Hankook and the first major tyre launch the company has undertaken in Australia.
"This tyre is revolutionary. Combined with regular tyre and vehicle maintenance and correct inflation, the Hankook enfren low rolling-resistance tyre has the potential to save Australian consumers a significant amount of money," said Mr Park.
"Low rolling-resistance tyres such as Hankook enfren is one of the few efficiency advantages that can be retro-fitted to cars already in service meaning consumers can take up the technology for a relatively low cost without having to buy a new car," he added.
Hankook Tire has recently announced an ongoing investment into researching and developing more eco-friendly tyre technology and design totaling at least the equivalent of AUD$26.6 million annually. This global investment represents a concerted effort to meet and exceed emerging environmental demands from regulators, original equipment manufacturers and consumers.
The emphasis on technology and design applied to the development of the enfren tyre allows Hankook to offer consumers both fuel and environmental benefits as well as sustained vehicle safety and performance through structural design and innovative silica compound technology.
"Hankook is proud to continue to make waves in the industry by consistently producing more affordable, class leading, quality tyres that are an increasingly relevant choice for Australian consumers," said Mr Park.
Hankook's enfren low rolling-resistance tyre is available in a wide range of the sizes to fit a wide range of popular cars available in Australia.
HANKOOK TYRE DELIVERS FIVE PER CENT FUEL SAVING IN REAL WORLD TEST
Hankook Tyres' new enfren low rolling-resistance tyre has excelled in a real-world fuel economy challenge bettering conventional radial tyres by more than five percent.
The challenge saw two identical Hyundai i30 SLX CRDi hatches driven in concert over almost 400km of city and motorway conditions. Tight experimental controls in place meant the only significant difference between the cars was that one was equipped with new Hankook enfren tyres while the other was fitted with conventional steel belt radials.
The Hankook enfren fuel economy challenge was observed and the results verified by officials from Sydney's North Shore Sporting Car club.
While Hyundai's i30 is already one of Australia's most economical vehicles the Hankook Fuel Economy Challenge showed that even an extremely economical car such as the 1.6-litre turbo diesel i30 can benefit significantly from fitting Hankook's new low rolling resistance enfren tyres.
Over the 382-kilometre course from Sydney to Goulburn and return the Hankook enfren equipped car used 5.5 litres per 100 km while the conventional tyre used 5.8 litres per 100km.
The Hankook Fuel Economy Challenge was co-ordinated by motoring journalist and industry engineering consultant John Cadogan who ensured that both cars were tested under tightly controlled conditions.
"A 5.1 percent advantage is a significant saving that can be achieved by any car owner simply by fitting lower rolling resistance tyres," said John Cadogan.
"Rolling resistance accounts for as much as 20 per cent of all automotive fuel consumed on earth. Advances in low rolling-resistance technology like that on the Hankook enfren offer a profound positive environmental benefit, as well as the capacity to extend the viability of the world's known oil reserves," he said.
"Very few things which genuinely improve fuel economy can be retro-fitted to cars that are already in service, however this test proves that low rolling resistance tyres such as Hankook's enfren delivers savings in both fuel consumption and therefore also in emissions, without owners needing to upgrade to a more modern car," he said.
"If every car in Australia were equipped with tyres such as the Hankook enfren it would save almost one billion litres of petrol every year not to mention saving around two million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions," he added.
"Importantly, the Hankook enfren tyres were uncompromised in terms of ride and handling, offering comparable levels of road handling, comfort, on-centre feel, and braking performance to conventional premium tyres."
The economy challenge was run in adverse weather with heavy wind and rain at times lashing the course between Sydney and Goulburn, presenting an ideal range of conditions in which to demonstrate the on-road performance of the Hankook enfren tyres.
Both test cars were driven in 'real-world' mode and not for absolute economy to better reflect the way ordinary motorists drive their own cars under regular conditions with normal acceleration patterns and maintaining ambient traffic speed. Under motorway conditions the cars were driven at the posted speed limit of 110km/h.
During the challenge the two Hyundai's maintained a substantial gap of approximately 300 to 400 metres to ensure that both cars were subjected to the same aerodynamic influences, while both speed and distance travelled were verified and cross checked using GPS tracking.
During the test, tyre pressures on both Hyundai's were set and verified to the placard-specified cold-inflation maximum of 32psi, while both sets of tyres were 205/55R16, the size specified for the Hyundai i30 SLX CRDi
For motorists who cover high annual mileages, an improvement of five per cent in fuel economy translates to significant personal savings, both in money and damage to the environment via greenhouse gas emissions.
