Save fuel – and the environment – with your choice of tyres

Higher fuel prices and increasing concern about the environment are causing informed motorists to look carefully at the tyres they fit on their cars. All tyres are not equal and choosing the right tyre can have an immense impact on the vehicle’s fuel efficiency and impact on the environment, says Ary Coetzee, Technical Manager – Consumer Replacement (Sales) at Bridgestone South Africa.

“The fuel price goes up and down, but there’s no doubt that South African motorists are really feeling the pinch. The good news is that by choosing from the current range of Turanza T005 tyres they can increase fuel efficiency without sacrificing performance—and also reduce their environmental impact,” he says. “Bridgestone’s huge investments in R&D have created a tyre that truly ticks all the boxes for modern-day, aware motorists.”

Turanza T005 tyres – built on the legacy of the Ecopia range – are made with Nano Pro-TechTM rubber, a laboratory-developed material that contains high concentrations of silica. By controlling material construction on a molecular level, reduced rolling resistance is achieved, which means reduced fuel per unit of forward motion. Tests show that the tyre has 4.3% better fuel efficiency than a comparable conventional tyre.

“It’s not widely known that the majority of the lifetime emissions attributable to a tyre—87%–arise during its useful life, not during its manufacture,” Mr Coetzee adds. Turanza T005’s greater fuel efficiency has an outsized impact on the environment, a key issue of our times.”

Thanks to their tough material and construction design, Turanza T005 tyres are very long-lasting. Bridgestone’s commitment to environmental principles has resulted in a focus on producing products that have to be replaced less frequently and can be reused (recycled), so reducing the consumption of finite natural resources.

At the same time, thanks to its innovative design, Turanza T005 provides excellent braking in wet conditions, shaving off an average of 9% of the wet braking distance of its main counterparts during testing. The tyres also deliver excellent road holding, giving a smoother, more silent ride. Turanza T005 tyres are available for cars, 4x4s and SUVs.