ExxonMobil to produce new specialty inner liner compounds for energy efficient tires

A recently completed ExxonMobil Chemical plant added to the company’s existing facilities in Pensacola, Fla. will be producing a new tire material technology destined to improve vehicle fuel efficiency.

“Tire inner liners made with the new material, Exxcore dynamically vulcanized alloy (DVA), achieve leading-edge air retention with less material. This reduces air loss between fillings and helps conserve energy and resources for future generations,” says Art Sullivan, vice president of the firm’s butyl polymers division.

Specifically, he explains, Exxcore DVA enables better fuel economy from significantly improved tire inflation pressure retention (IPR). IPR is a measure of tire air pressure loss over time. Improved air retention means reduced rolling resistance, resulting in better fuel economy.

If all vehicle tires on the road in the U.S. had an IPR of 1.5 percent, it would represent a significant potential annual fuel savings of more than 700 million gallons and a reduction in greenhouse gases exceeding 6 million tons per year, equivalent to taking over a million cars off the road, according to Sullivan.

The product “combines the flexibility and elasticity of rubber with the low air permeability of plastic, achieving 7 to 10 times better permeability than existing halobutyl inner liner materials. In addition, tire durability testing shows an improvement greater than 50 percent over standard halobutyl inner liners. This allows for an improved speed rating and potentially extends the tire’s life,” he says.

ExxonMobil’s development partner, the Yokohama Rubber Co. plans to begin manufacturing tires with inner liners made from the new material later this year. In addition, the Cheng Shin Rubber Co. makers of the “MAXXIS” brand, plans to debut a higher-performance, lower-IPR tire with Exxcore DVA in 2009.

Yokohama, founded in 1917, produces numerous types of rubber products in addition to its tire lines. Cheng Shin provides tires for cars, buses, trucks, bicycles, motorcycles, ATVs, trailers, and carts, plus lawn and garden applications.

For more information, visit www.exxonmobil.com and www.yrc.co.jp.