Baller

Dunlop gets rolling on U.S. synthetic rubber production
Thomas Hartley
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plans to start making synthetic rubber tires in the U.S., including the local Goodyear Dunlop Tires NA Ltd. facility, within 18 months.


The synthetic rubber would be used with natural rubber or as a replacement for natural rubber, depending on the cost of the two at any given time.

Goodyear has been developing the technology over a period of years.

"Synthetic rubber can be virtually in all the lines of truck tires as well as passenger tires," said Keith Price, director of corporate communications/programs for Akron, Ohio-based Goodyear, the world's largest tire maker.

"We have not yet introduced it into our plants but have begun field testing tires made with the new synthetic rubber blends and expect to approve the material for use in our factories, including Buffalo, in the next 12 to 18 months," he said.

"The key advantage of these developments is that it gives us flexibility. Most tires are a mix of natural and synthetic rubber. Some are 100 percent natural rubber. This will allow us to do more substituting of synthetic rubber where we are able," Price said.

Among the tires now made all of natural rubber that could be converted to a natural rubber-synthetic rubber combination are large commercial trucks tires that are made by Goodyear Dunlop Tires NA at its River Road plant in the Town of Tonawanda.

Recent natural rubber price volatility, which has shown no signs of subsiding soon, created a sense of urgency, company officials have said. It is estimated that the several synthetic rubber products Goodyear has developed could cut the cost of using natural rubber by 15 percent within the next three years.

Introducing synthetic rubber into the manufacturing process is not expected to affect the level of jobs at plants such as Tonawanda, which has about 1,450 employees, Price said.

magixpuma

rather than the "volitilaty of 100% rubber" what are the real pros and cons of these synthetic blend is it cheaper, better traction during bad weather high speeds etc, or is it just less volitale. They sorta just beat around the bush of its real pros. ok thanks
good informative post

Baller

Good for racing and the extreme heat, they will last longer also.

sjt

if they can make one that performs like the Advan Neovas then HELL YEAH.

sferrett

Synthetic rubber tires do not work on rotary vehicles. Same thing with the oil.

PoLaK

iTrader: (1)

Synthetic oil works in rotaries its a bad myth that needs to die.

sferrett

Hmm obviously not enough sarcasm used in my previous post, methinks

PoLaK

iTrader: (1)

Blah well I understood the sarcasm in relation to the tires. But you referenced it to something that a lot of people still think is true.

sferrett

Yeah..

Rotary Nut

Synthetic rubber has been in use since WWII. The germans used synthetic rubber for combat aircraft and vehicle tires for almost the entire war! because we bombed the hell out of the factories and wiped out their supply lines limitiming the flow of natural rubber into Germany.

Baller

So has synthetic oil!
It's just a hell of a lot better now.

Rotary Titus

LOL GOD ROFL
now ppl are wondering if I've gone insane here at my mazda dealership while I wait for me car :p

Wakka

Just curios.

Anyone in the tire business know there nothing new to this "synthetic" rubber. All major tire makers' been using for a long time.

Silica content makes more difference in tire performance than 'synthetic' rubbers.

Rotary Nut

The high silica content is also responsible for you getting shocked when you exit your car. It has different electrical properties and makes it tougher for the car to dissipate built up static charge.

Honda even had a recall notice some years back concerning irate customers that were getting sick and tired of getting a nasty shock. The replaced the tires (at no charge) to a brand that had a higher natural rubber content.