Low Rolling Resistance

It’s road trip season, and many Euro enthusiasts will be hitting the highway this summer to put on big miles.  Of course, the main point of contact between your car and the road is the tire, so there are some things to keep in mind when you are shopping for your next set, and rolling resistance should be a factor.  Believe it or not, rolling resistance absorbs around 20% of all the energy that your vehicle puts out (depending on the tires), and that has an obvious impact on fuel consumption.  In fact, a difference of 40% (of that 20%, sorry) can make a 5-6% difference in the amount of fuel your car needs to maintain speed.  According to Nokian, the difference in fuel consumption between the best and worst rolling resistance tire can add up to multiple tanks of fuel over the lifetime of the tire.

Will you notice it immediately?  Most likely not, because low rolling resistance doesn’t mean low grip. There are other methods to lower the rolling resistance other than just making the compound harder.  Limiting deformation plays a key role in reducing the amount of resistance a tire puts up on the road, and in designing a low rolling resistance tire the structure and materials used must be very carefully considered in order to reduce the amount of deformation experienced ahead of the contact patch at speed.

Surprisingly, also taken into account is wind resistance.  As the tire closes down onto the contact patch, air is forced through the treads.  By dimpling the sides of the treads like a golf ball and polishing the center ribs, air is allowed to move more freely.  This has a large part in reducing tire noise, but also effects rolling resistance.  Engineers at Nokian spent countless hours designing the eNTYRE to have the least amount of rolling resistance, while still optimizing handling and comfort using these other techniques.

We carry two tires that specifically feature low rolling resistance, the Nokian eNTYRE 2.0 and the eNTYRE CS.

The eNTYRE 2.0

Now in its second generation, the eNTYRE 2.0 is the entire package when it comes to an all season (get it?).  Specifically designed for North America, the eNTYRE 2.0 has a number of specific features that allow it to perform well an an extremely competitive market segment of all-season touring tires.  I personally have these on two of my cars, and only have good things to say about them.  The features listed below do their job well, and I struggle to find tires for a comparable price with all of these things built in.  All this is available at a very reasonable price.

• Silent Sidewall design is a special vibration absorbing area built into the sidewall to cut down on transferred noise, vibration, and harshness from the tread to the wheel rim.
• Polished lateral and inside grooves greatly reduces the risk of aquaplaning and slush planing and promotes water evacuation.
• Environmentally friendly building materials keeps Nokian on the leading edge of environmentally friendly manufacturing using purified and low-aromatic oils.
• Silent groove design adds golf ball like dimples along the sides of the tread blocks to allow air to pass through the tire easier, lowering noise levels as well as rolling resistance.
• Driving Safety Indicator shows the remaining tread depth without a depth gauge.
• High Modulus tread compound delivers ultra high performance handling characteristics without sacrificing comfort.
• Low rolling resistance and comfort compound raises MPG, lowers noise, and smooths the ride out to make a great road trip tire.

The eNTYRE C/S

The eNTYRE C/S follows Nokians philosophy that you cannot simply upscale a tire and have it work the same way.  For heavier vehicles like Crossovers, SUV’s, and vans, Nokian has adapted the technologies that made the eNTYRE 2.0 great, and added a few features to to the eNTYRE 2.0 to make the C/S a great choice for  your heavier grocery getter.

• Aramid reinforced sidewalls for excellent puncture strength and low deformation
• Locking sipes allow for less lateral motion for predictable handling on all road surfaces, while maintaining the excellent wet weather ability of a heavily siped tire.
• Silent tread technology makes for a smooth ride around town or for extended highway trips.