Yokohama's Green Tire Trades Petroleum for Citrus Oil

Japan-based Yokohama Tire Corp. has introduced a tire made of Super Nanopower Rubber (SNB), which is partially fruit. SNB is the catchy name for a rubber-like automotive tire substance that contains 80 percent less petroleum products than conventional tires. Yokohama has replaced the petroleum with citrus oil.

The new SNB tire features some green qualities beyond its environmentally friendly material. The tire contains a layer of air permeation suppression film, a polymer inner lining designed to reduce air leakage. This helps the tire maintain its optimum inflation, which reduces unnecessary fuel consumption from under-inflated tires. The new product is also a lot lighter, thus conserving gasoline by reducing rolling resistance by 18 percent.

Yokohama's first green tire will be introduced as a consumer passenger tire. The company also produces a full line of tires, including high-performance, light truck, commercial truck and bus products.