Save fuel and drive safely with eco tyres

Tyres with a low rolling resistance can help you save fuel, along with reasonable driving, as tyres consume 20 per cent of the fuel of a car. The average consumption of your own car measured by the ECE norm is fixed, you can not influence it. But you can very well reduce the actual consumption with the decision for energy saving tyres.

“The car driver can save half a litre of fuel per 100 kilometres with a low rolling resistance eco tyre like the Nokian H for compact cars or even with an ultra high performance tyre like the Nokian Z G2”, advises Teppo Huovila, Vice President R & D. “A rolling resistance lowered by 40 per cent saves six per cent fuel. This is 300 Euros less over a driving distance of 40,000 kilometres. Furthermore these tyres produce less CO2 emissions. Both premium tyres are “very recommendable” according to the German automobile association ADAC test, regarding both “fuel consumption” and safety relevant driving behaviour.” The SUV tyre Nokian Z SUV was rated “very recommendable” („vorbildlich“) by the German car magazine „Auto Bild allrad“ in the latest test and got the top mark in rolling resistance.

Tyres with optimised rolling resistance must similarly offer firm grip in the wet

Between saving fuel and wet grip there is a target conflict. You should buy no tyre which indeed saves fuel and has a long mileage, but poor grip on wet road. Then highest danger is imminent, as the braking distance in the rain is far too long. You should not choose cheap tyres, which have insufficient grip in the wet. Otherwise it can be perilous. “Nokian tyres do not only save fuel but also offer high safety, especially when the road is wet,” knows expert Huovila. The ADAC praises the Nokian Z G2: “very good in the wet” and the Nokian H: “+ good also in the wet”. In its latest test, the biggest European car magazine “Auto Bild” describes Nokian H very positively, mentioning its driving safety combined with a very low energy consumption: “Strengths: safe driving behaviour with stable latitudinal grip in the wet and in the dry, very low rolling resistance and quiet noise level”. “auto Test” writes nearly identically. “Auto Zeitung” judges the Nokian V “very recommendable”, too.

The tyre of the future will save even more fuel. A rolling distance test demonstrates how much will soon be possible: Nokian’s new prototype tyre rolls 64 per cent farther than a currently available good eco-oriented summer tyre. The prototype tyre from Nokian makes 130 metres whereas the eco tyre stops after only 80 metres.

But already today car drivers can reduce their consumption. In order to save fuel effectively, car drivers should always drive with the right tyre pressure. In this way they can save 0.3 to 0.5 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres with a tyre with lower rolling resistance, Nokian calculates. Low tyre pressure boosts rolling resistance as the tyre changes its shape too much. Furthermore it is more difficult in extreme situations to control the car and it is dangerous for you and your family. When you drive with the right pressure, you save money and do something good for the environment. Check the pressure of your tyres! The correct pressure guarantees that the tyre rolls and steers easily. It also reduces hazardous emissions.

Carefully check the condition of your summer tyres before fitting them. Ensure that there are no cracks, cuts or bulges on the sidewalls. The recommended depth of the main grooves is at least four millimetres.

Free-rolling tyres help to lower the consumption. To save a lot you must also correspondingly adapt your driving style. Don't drive aggressively: Don’t accelerate too much, avoid unnecessary braking and then accelerating again, let the car roll. Use the highest gear possible: Driving at low revolutions does not damage modern engines, speed 50 in fifth gear is okay. Eliminate extra weight: Remove unnecessary weight, take everything out of your trunk what you do not necessarily need. Think before using air conditioner and heating: air conditioner and heating cost energy. Use fuel-efficient engine oil. Eliminate extra wind resistance: Remove the roof rack when you do not need it.

Nokian Tyres – the pioneer of environmental friendliness

The environmental friendliness of a tyre is also influenced by the use of ecological materials. Nokian Tyres is the pioneer of environmentally friendliness, which belongs to its core values, all its tyres are green and have high mileages. The company is the world's first tyre manufacturer to have introduced purified, low-aromatic oils in its production, and this already since the end of 2004. The complete tyre is free of high-aromatic oils and not only the tread.

Finnish premium tyres with a green heart

The natural product canola oil is used newly, too, which makes rubber tear resistant, has excellent resistance to the dynamic stresses created during driving and reduces the rolling resistance. Corporate responsibility in environmental issues means using safe, environmentally-friendly products and efficient, top-of-the-line production processes. In accordance with the product lifecycle thinking, Nokian Tyres pays attention to environmental issues already when acquiring raw materials and designing products. All tyres produced with high-aromatic oils after 1 January 2010 are not allowed to be sold any longer according to the EU regulation.

By November 2012, every passenger car tyre sold in the EU must have a sticker that helps consumers decide what to purchase and to compare tyre brands; the sticker will announce the tyre's fuel efficiency, wet grip and noise level. In principle, the new grading system will function just like the one for home appliances. The grades are A, B, C, D, E, F and G. The green A grade is the highest and best, and the red G grade the lowest and poorest. At the moment, the rolling resistance of the best passenger car tyres corresponds to grade C of the new grading system. Nokian’s new prototype tyre nearly reaches the best class A.

Choose well-balanced tyres: safe driving behaviour and ecology

Being environmentally friendly is not enough for tyres: They shall be safe above all; they can save lives. If you brake too late they must prove firm grip and strong stability to prevent the car from skidding. If the car driver is too fast in the curve the tyres should provide enough latitudinal grip for not letting the car drift away and not pulling the rear. With too high speed in the wet you are grateful if the braking distance is short and the grip is firm. Nobody should overtake with high risk, but if the oncoming traffic appears sooner than expected, firm grip and quick acceleration can compensate the driver´s mistake. If you have to avoid, the steering commands of the driver should be transformed into quick, precise reactions of the tyre and the car.

Nokian tyres are developed, tested and manufactured in the demanding conditions of the north. They offer high quality and the best possible performance even in the most extreme conditions thus being not only environmentally friendly and consuming only little fuel. The excellent test results of the leading magazines confirm this. The “ADAC judges the Nokian Z G2 very positively: “+ Very balanced summer tyre” and as well the Nokian H: “+ Very balanced summer tyre with best mark on dry road + good on wet road”. This is why both tyres were rated “very recommendable”.

Additionally Nokian H was the overwhelming winner of the ACE/GTÜ summer tyre test 2009 (ACE = European Automobile Association). The SUV tyre Nokian Z SUV rated “very recommendable” („vorbildlich“) by „Auto Bild allrad“ got the good mark 2 in all three test categories: wet, dry and off road. “Auto Zeitung” writes about the Nokian V with result “very recommendable” that it scores many points and recommends itself as a good alternative in the wet as well as in the dry.

Nokian is convinced of the quality of its tyres and offers the Nokian DSI satisfaction concept: If a buyer is not content with his new summer tyres of Nokian by any reason, he is allowed to change them to another set of tyres at his dealer within 14 days. Mounting and balancing are free of charge.

Nokian Tyres s.r.o
Phone +420 222 507 761
Fax +420 241 940 635
dieter.koppner(at)nokiantyres.com
V Parku 2336/22
148 00 Praha 4
Czech Republic

Photo download: https://www.nokiantyres.com/savefuel

Press contact:

Dr. Falk Köhler PR
Dr. Falk Köhler
Phone: +49 40 54 73 12 12
Fax: +49 40 54 73 12 22
E-mail: Dr.Falk.Koehler(at)Dr-Falk-Koehler.de
Ödenweg 59
22397 Hamburg
Germany

Further information:

Nokian Tyres s.r.o
Business Director Central Europe
Dieter Köppner, Phone: +420 222 507 761
Product Development Manager
Sven Dittmann Dipl.-Ing., Phone: +49 8143 / 444 850

Nokian Tyres plc
Vice President R & D
Teppo Huovila, Phone: +358 10 401 7701
Product Manager
Petri Niemi, Phone: +358 10 401 7646

E-mail: [email protected]