Yokohama Rubber's Orange-Oil Eco Tires Make U.S. Debut at Sebring Races

New Petroleum-Saving Compound Makes Retail Bow This Summer 

 The bad news is that they still smell just like a regular rubber tire, leaving no faint tracery of orange blossom perfume in their wake as they roll by. Not even a fierce scrubbing of rubber on a hairpin turn or during an off-the-line burnout gives hint of their unusual chemical makeup.

The good news, by utilizing an oil derived from oranges, Yokohama Rubber Co.'s newest tires do help the environment just a bit. Adding the orange oil to the tire compound lets Yokohama reduce the petroleum content in each tire by about 10 percent and makes each tire easier - less energy intensive - to recycle.

One could argue that debuting an environmentally friendly tire in the U.S. as the official racing tire of the GT3 Challenge Series takes away a little of the environmental message: race cars aren't exactly easy on fuel or tires, but we like racing so we're not going to wag a finger and go all greenie over that issue.

Suffice it to say, if we're going to continue to have auto racing, and we sincerely hope that is the case, then it needs to get an green as possible. Little steps like Yokohama's orange-oil  tires help move things in the right direction.

So we cheer that the company's U.S. arm, Yokohama Tire Corp., staged the world debut of the racing version - the orange-oil infused ENV-R1 tire - in Sebring, Fla., as part of the Sebring International Raceway's storied endurance race series this past weekend.

All of the cars (Porsche 911s) in the GT3 series wore the same rubber, so the Yokohamas also scored their first podium appearances at Sebring.

Next up is a regular retail version of the tires - which have been on sale in Japan for about a year and were first shown in the U.S. in a display at the 2007 Los Angeles International Auto Show (left).

Yokohama says U.S, consumers will get orange-oil rubber this summer as the Yokohama dB Super E-Spec tire, initially in sizes fitted for the Toyota Prius and Camry hybrids; Honda Civic and Accord hybrids and the natural-gas fueled Honda Civic GX. All are cars with a green theme, so you can see where Yokohama's marketing campaign will be headed.

John O'Dell, Senior Editor

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Race photo courtesy of Yokohama Tire Corp.

Tire photo by John O'Dell

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John O'Dell March 23, 2009, 5:16 PM

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Fuels & Technologies, Porsche

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Environmental Tires, Orange Oil Rubber, Yokohama Orange Oil Tires, Yokohama Tires