Yokohama Rubber commercializes “finned tires” for Daihatsu’s “Copen”, brings technology honed with SUPER GT to market

2023-10-27 22:35:58

Fined tire Advan A50 launched on the market

Yokohama Rubber will exhibit at the “Japan Mobility Show 2023″ (public open date: October 28th to November 5th, location: Tokyo Big Sight). In addition to exhibiting “finned tires” that incorporate the technology honed in SUPER GT into commercially available tires, we also introduced advanced technologies such as concept tires that control rigidity, tires for EVs, and tire development using AI.

The “Fin Tire Advan A50”, which is scheduled to be commercially available in 2024, has been tested on SUPER GT and other cars for some time. By attaching fins to the sides of tires, it is possible to use aerodynamics to control the flow of air in the car. By changing the angle and number of fins, it is possible to reduce the tire’s rolling resistance and add downforce, and this time, the company says it has improved steering stability by reducing turbulence.

However, the problem with these finned tires is that they must be developed to match the vehicle. Since aerodynamics are controlled using fins, development needs to be tailored to the shape of the car’s body, making it difficult to develop multiple sizes with the same shape.

Therefore, the finned tires that will be introduced in 2024 will have one size, 165/50 R16. It will only be compatible with the Daihatsu Copen, which has many discerning users. On the other hand, from a Copen user’s point of view, it is a product that can be described as a completely custom-made tire, so in a sense it is a tire that they are very grateful for.

Controls fin aerodynamics integrated into the sidewall

The fins are provided in 2 sets at 6 locations, and a total of 12 fins with a height of 3mm achieve aerodynamic control. As you look closer, you can see that the molds and molding have been advanced, and you can feel the high level of Yokohama Rubber’s technological capabilities.

Electrically control tire stiffness

EV tires

At the Yokohama Rubber booth, we will also be exhibiting tires for EVs that are scheduled to be released in Europe in 2024. This model uses the Advan V107 pattern while optimizing the tires for EV use. Tires for EVs are required to be quiet, and this design takes advantage of the V107 pattern’s excellent quietness.

stiffness control tires

As a future technology, we will introduce materials whose properties can be changed by electricity into the structural materials of tires. You can electronically control things like making the tires softer or harder. Specifically, it can be used to soften the road surface to increase grip when slippery roads occur, and to harden it on normal roads to improve fuel efficiency. Since it is possible to adaptively control grip, ride comfort, and vehicle height, when a vehicle suddenly approaches from the side, the collision point is calculated and the vehicle height is controlled to make the strongest point of the vehicle the contact point. He has ideas such as:

About AI development

In addition, Yokohama Rubber has introduced a large number of computers for structural analysis and other purposes, and is also creating testing support using AI. AI processing is often done in the cloud, but Yokohama Rubber has its own AI computers. It was then used to perform calculations and was said to be useful for internal test development.

Yokohama rubber booth
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