Bridgestone Debuts New Lightweight Tire Technology

Bridgestone has launched a new lightweight tire technology called Enliten. It offers the benefits of significant reduction in material and rolling resistance performance. This translates into lower CO₂ emissions from a vehicle. The tire would also have the same wear life as a standard original equipment tire. The tire manufacturer’s innovative technology would be of great benefit to car manufacturers, drivers and the environment. Other benefits the new technology offers include better vehicle stability and handling, two factors that would boost driving pleasure.

More sustainable, more efficient

Two main trends that affect the automotive industry in the current era are climate change and the concern caused by dwindling resources. This has led to the European parliament coming up with very stringent norms that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have to adhere to reduce the CO₂ that their vehicles emit.

Enliten is a breakthrough technology that helps Bridgestone to adhere to these norms  through original equipment tires. The technology has the capability to reduce the rolling resistance of a passenger tire by 20 percent from a standard premium summer touring tire. Thus, a tire having embedded Enliten technology can help reduce fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions in combustion vehicles. When used in electric vehicles, such tires help extend battery life and vehicle range.

Enliten makes it possible to reduce the weight of passenger tires by about 10 percent on average when compared to a standard premium summer touring tire. This means that less raw materials are used to manufacture the tires, and the tires would have lower rolling resistance. The use of Enliten technology does not in any way affect the tire wear or safety. The technology can even increase drive comfort and pleasure by enhancing the vehicle’s handling and stability.

A new approach to tire design and production

The key to Enliten’s success is its innovative approach to tire design and production. The technology uses decreased tire tread depth, a proprietary compound mix to enhance wear performance, lower but reinforced inner liner thickness, and a new dedicated mold design concept to decrease emissions and improve driving pleasure.

Paolo Ferrari, CEO and President Bridgestone EMEA said that it is the responsibility of every person and business on this planet to become more sustainable. Everything at Bridgestone is done with a view to contributing to the company’s sustainability strategy, ‘Our Way to Serve’. Bridgestone’s customers have their own initiatives, and as their partner, Bridgestone wanted to help them achieve their goals. He said that Enliten marks a great step forward in Bridgestone’s drive to achieve its long-term environmental vision to manufacture products from raw materials that are fully renewable and sustainable by 2050 and beyond,

Bridgestone is transforming itself from a producer of premium tires to a leader in mobility In view of current social, economic and technological trends, Bridgestone is rapidly transforming from a premium tire producer into a leader in mobility solutions. In recent years, Bridgestone Corporation has invested heavily in R&D, with the company spending close to 800 million on an annual basisto develop new technologies, products and solutions that can enable customers, fleets and end-users to become more sustainable and more efficient.

Bridgestone will soon be announcing partnerships that will see Enliten technology applied to vehicles in the European market.