Toyo Tires has announced the forthcoming release of the Observe Giz3 – a studless tire for passenger cars – in the domestic market from August 2024. The company is also introducing new sizes for SUVs to accommodate the growing popularity of these vehicles.
The recent warm winter in Japan and the increasing temperature differences between day and night have led to rapidly changing road conditions. During the day, snow may melt due to rising temperatures, turning into slush, while at night, it can freeze into ice as temperatures drop. These conditions require studless tires capable of handling such unstable weather and varying road surfaces, with a particular emphasis on ice performance for safe driving.
The Observe Giz3 is designed to be environmentally friendly, using sustainable materials to enhance durability while improving braking performance on icy roads and traction performance when starting. In the development process, Toyo Tires focused on improving the adhesion between the tire and the road surface through advances in both pattern design and compounding technology.
The company used its tire design platform technology – T-Mode – to create new patterns called herringbone sipe and assembly block. These designs aim to help distribute ground contact pressure more evenly and prevent block collapse.
Additionally, a new long-lasting rubber compound, which includes sustainable high-adhesion gel and sustainer grip polymer, aims to maintain the rubber’s softness even at low temperatures. This results in a 22% improvement in braking performance on icy roads over the previous model, the Observe Giz2.
The use of naturally derived sustainable materials in the polymer also contributes to the tire’s environmental friendliness.
