LOUISVILLE, KY. Yokohama Tire Corp is showing its full line of Zenvironment products this week at the Mid-America Trucking Show at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville, KY.
The products within the fuel-efficient, low-rolling resistance Zenvironment line include the 703ZL, 103ZR, 501ZA and 101ZL.
“The Zenvironment line represents Yokohama’s best truck tire technology,” said Rick Phillips, Yokohama’s director of commercial sales. “It reflects our philosophy of using ultra-high technology to make truck tires that will last longer and be more fuel-efficient. The Zenvironment focuses on four components: the casing design, rubber compound, tread design and manufacturing process.”
Yokohama uses ‘finite element analysis’ where engineers divide the tire into several thousand tiny individual sections or elements, Phillips said. Each element is analyzed under simulated operating conditions. This allows Yokohama to accurately predict physical changes the tire will undergo during its lifetime.
“By being able to predict these changes,” said Phillips, “we can reduce the strain to the casing from normal stress or applied force. The result is cooler operating temperatures and greater casing life and retreadability.”
The 101ZL, 703ZL and 103ZR are on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) SmartWay list of verified technologies for tires. Yokohama has nine tires recognized by SmartWay “low rolling resistance tires.”
The Zenvironment line includes:
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101ZL: This premium long-haul steer tire runs longer, is more trouble-free and efficient than anything Yokohama has ever brought to the market, according to Phillips. The 101ZL provides improved mileage and even wear, and is available in four sizes: 295/75R22.5, 11R22.5, 11R24.5 and 285/75R24.5.
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703ZL: A high-tech, ultra-long drive mileage tire, which features the deepest tread in the industry – one full inch – with the lowest rolling resistance in its category. It also has a solid closed shoulder that provides even wear, which translates to more road miles.
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103ZR: Offers a compound, tread design and casing construction that delivers longer treadwear and low rolling resistance. It also features rock-ejector platforms that keep stones and debris out of the grooves to enhance durability. The 103ZR, at 23/32, is the deepest SmartWay-verified tire.
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501ZA: Like the 103ZR, the 501ZA uses a revolutionary compound and innovative casing design to contribute to extended mileage and greater chip resistance for on-and-off highway applications. Phillips said the casing innovations actually predict changes in tire shape that occur in early stages of wear. The result is increased durability due to stabilized performance over the wear of the tire.
