Toyo Tires has announced the upcoming release of the Observe Giz3, a studless tire designed for passenger cars, set to hit the domestic market in August 2024. The company is also expanding its range to include new sizes tailored for SUVs, in response to the rising popularity of these vehicles.
Japan’s recent mild winter and the fluctuating temperatures between day and night have resulted in rapidly changing road conditions. Daytime melting snow can turn into slush, which then freezes into ice as temperatures drop at night. These conditions necessitate studless tires capable of adapting to such unstable weather and varying road surfaces, with a particular focus on ice performance to ensure safe driving.
The Observe Giz3 is crafted to be eco-friendly, utilizing sustainable materials to boost durability while enhancing braking performance on icy roads and traction during starts. Toyo Tires concentrated on improving the adhesion between the tire and the road surface by advancing both the pattern design and compounding technology during development.
Employing its tire design platform technology, T-Mode, Toyo Tires developed new patterns called herringbone sipe and assembly block. These innovations aim to evenly distribute ground contact pressure and prevent block collapse.
Moreover, a new long-lasting rubber compound, incorporating sustainable high-adhesion gel and sustainer grip polymer, is designed to maintain the rubber’s softness even at low temperatures. This results in a 22% improvement in braking performance on icy roads compared to the previous model, the Observe Giz2.
The inclusion of naturally derived sustainable materials in the polymer also enhances the tire’s environmental friendliness.