NEWS: New Falken Tyre Offers Wet Grip & Fuel Efficiency

Falken Tyres have released a new compound of rubber with novel tread designs – offering both wet grip performance and higher fuel efficiency, thanks to reduced rolling resistance, the new ZIEX ZE914 premium tyre. Falken say: "Until now, tyre engineers have struggled to offer lower rolling resistance and the highest levels of wet weather grip, finding attributes to be usually mutually exclusive. To be able to achieve this challenging balance, Falken had to look at alternative ways to reduce the heat and therefore the energy required to deliver the desired grip performance required for a European premium tyre. By using silica in combination with long, modified polymer chains, the new rubber compound reduces excess heat generation and therefore, rolling resistance. The result is a 3.8 percent fuel saving compared with a non-optimised tyre. The strain characteristics of silica have the additional effect of increasing the contact area and grip for the same tyre diameter. Enlarging the contact area also provides car drivers with an additional benefit. By reducing the contact pressure, the tyre’s operating life is also extended, a handy advantage for the vehicle’s running costs.
"Falken’s engineers also looked closely at using the tread pattern to get better wet weather performance. The answer was a total of four wide tread grooves in the tyre cap design to allow for efficient water deflection and achieve superb hydroplaning resistance. Additionally, the staggered sipes integrated into the first tread block at the shoulder break up the water film more effectively than conventional tread patterns."
Like its predecessor ZIEX ZE912, the new ZIEX ZE914 comes with “Special Eyes” tread wear indicators to monitor tyre wear accurately. These indicators change shape – from round, to square, then smooth – with increasing wear letting drivers know when it is time to rotate the tyres to maximise tyre life further. The ZIEX ZE914 will be available in 10 sizes with speed ratings of V, W and H at launch, offering the ideal replacement for cars such as the VW Golf or Ford Mondeo. By 2013, Falken will expand the range to include 70 versions. This is the third tyre launched in Europe by Falken in as many months, who are aiming to compliment the significant growth the firm achieved in Europe in 2011.
Find our more and all the sizes available at: www.falken-europe.de