Yokohama Tire Corp. introduced its all-new AVID ENVigor passenger tire earlier today, Dec. 3, at the L.A. Auto Show. The tire offers "the ideal blend of all-season performance, low rolling resistance, smooth comfort and long tread life," say Yokohama officials.
The ENVigor goes on sale this March and will be available in 69 sizes, making it one of the largest launches in Yokohama's history. (Yokohama Tire Corp. is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.)
The tire contains the following features:
* Yokohama's proprietary Adaptive 3D sipes, which maintain water and winter traction.
* angled groove walls and circumferential grooves for hydroplane resistance.
* a tapered center rib and "unibloc" shoulder for enhanced stiffness.
* a six-pitch tread variation for reduced pattern noise.
* "groove-in-groove technology," which reduces uneven wear.
* an all-new silica compound for excellent fuel effiency.
Dan King, Yokohama's vice president of sales and marketing, says the ENVigor "delivers collectively all the performance and environmental attributes in a single tire that a new category virtually had to be created for it: Grand Performance. It provides excellent traction and handling, enhanced comfort and tread life -- all while delivering remarkable gas mileage."
Designed for a broad range of vehicles -- including entry-level and luxury coupes, sedans and SUVs -- the ENVigor will replace Yokohama's popular AVID H4s/V4s and W4 tires.
Yokohama is sponsoring the 2009 L.A. Auto Show, which runs through Dec. 13.