Yokohama Tire (Canada) says the introduction of its new RY637 radial is a solid solution to industry concerns about long-haul steer axle tires.

Steer axle tires experience irregular wear, often resulting in decreased tread life so Yokohama’s initial challenge was to reduce the occurrence of irregular wear through a new design and overall tire uniformity, increasing fuel efficiency without sacrificing traction, improving comfort by reducing vibration and increasing durability and retreadability.

“The RY637 is not just another new steer tire, but truly a ‘ground up’ reengineering of both construction designing and precise production engineering down to a tenth of a millimetre to create a remarkable new truck tire,” says Joe Higuchi, sales and marketing vice-president for Yokohama Tire Canada.

All the design elements were conceived to control the load pressure on the tread as the tire rolls. For example, the stress wear control groove reduces the contact pressure at the tread shoulder. This results in increased resistance to shoulder step-down wear. The stress wear control rib, meanwhile, isolates heavy pressure on this rib, reducing the contact pressure on the main portion of that rib, and so minimizing irregular wear.

Also, an ultra-wide top steel belt provides uniform stiffness across the tread face of the tire. On conventional steel radials, the top belt is typically narrower. In the RY637 the top belt is extended to the shoulder of the tire to add stiffness to the face of the tread, making the rigidity of the tread uniform across the tire. This deliberate change in contact pressure helps control tire wear besides offering greater puncture resistance.

A new contoured bead design ensures the tire sits evenly on the wheel to improve tire uniformity along the entire circumference of the rim and reduce tire vibration.

Yokohama is also including its MC2 technology for reduced rolling resistance and its STEM-2 technology which redirects destructive flexing and straining forces.