Orange Oil Makes Yokohama Tires More 'A-peeling'

FULLERTON, Calif., Nov. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to tire development and technology, the road generally goes from the racetrack to the cul de sac. A great example is Yokohama Tire Corporation's new passenger tire, the AVID Ascend^®, which features orange oil, a special technology born on the track, and which can be seen discussed in the following video:  http://youtu.be/TtrgVa7DHYQ

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(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121119/MM14940 )

That's correct: Yokohama combines the oil from orange peels with natural rubber to create a compound that improves performance characteristics in the Ascend while using renewable materials.  In fact, Yokohama tire engineers began testing orange oil on race slicks in the 1980s.

"Yokohama is the only tire company to have perfected this science," said Andrew Briggs, Yokohama director of product planning and motorsports. "The result was the ADVAN^® ENV-R1^™, which debuted in 2009 at Sebring International Raceway and became the world's first tire in a racing series that used sustainable materials."

In 2010, the ENV-R2^™ replaced the ENV-R1 and remains the official spec tire of the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama and the GTC Class of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS).

"Yokohama is legendary in its reputation for ultra high-performance race and street tires," said Briggs, "which are a result of our strong commitment to technology and ongoing innovation. It's also the same commitment that has allowed us to re-define touring tire performance in the AVID Ascend.  There, the orange oil technology makes possible the collective benefits of outstanding grip for all-season handling, long treadlife and great fuel economy. It doesn't compromise on one while delivering another. The orange oil is the differentiator. "

The AVID Ascend went on sale in the U.S. earlier in the year in 44 sizes and is made in the U.S.A. at Yokohama's Salem, Virginia plant.

Yokohama's proprietary orange oil technology was introduced to the consumer market in its dB Super E-spec^™, an everyday passenger car tire that hit the streets in 2009 in four sizes.

SOURCE Yokohama Tire Corporation