/What’s Up with the Eco-Friendly Tire Initiative

What’s Up with the Eco-Friendly Tire Initiative

EcoTires Hero at What’s Up with the Eco Friendly Tire Initiative

Tires are a vital aspect of your vehicle. After all, the whole point of your engine is to make those tires roll when you need them to. However, most drivers don’t ever see their old tires after they buy new ones. Tire shops typically take your old tires, and you ride off into the sunset on a new set. But what happens to those tires after you “throw them out”? They don’t simply disappear, and it is what happens after we are done with them that matters most.

Eventually, your tires are not going to be fit for driving. There are only a handful of things that will happen to them at that point. Some can be recycled, but only a portion of the tire is actually harvested for other uses. Most tires are simply dumped, as burning them is now known to be even worse for the atmosphere. Unfortunately, the tires will simply sit in landfills much like plastic due to their very slow decaying process. The vast number of tires on earth makes them a large and obtuse problem in terms of living sustainably and trying to maintain an eco-friendly lifestyle. Luckily, environmental experts have a few tricks up their sleeves in order to take a more eco-friendly approach to tires. It is a slow and steady process to achieving true sustainability, but it is often the first steps that make the most impact. Here are some of those advancements, and how they are making an influence.

What Tires Are Made Of

Tires have been made from petroleum-based rubber since rubber tires became the standard. Now, instead of using non-renewable petroleum rubber, leading scientists and engineers are creating plant-based rubbers that are capable of withstanding the pressures and temperatures that tires are regularly put under. Crops like soybean can be used to create tires that have longer-lasting tread life, and can reduce petroleum consumption by millions of gallons each year. Keep in mind that tires also have inlay of steel and other materials that give them the characteristics we are looking for in each tire type. Using plant-based rubbers is a huge step in breaking away from petroleum-based products.

Rolling Freely

The latest achievement in eco-friendly tire technology are low rolling resistance tires. The goal is to manufacture tires that are easier to get rolling and keep rolling, minimizing the amount of fuel needed to power the vehicle. With increasingly advancing designs, LRR tires are now seeing between 5-15% more fuel efficiency. Keep in mind that these tires are not regulated by an authorized agency, and that each manufacture sets their own standards for LRR efficiency.

Giti’s Green Tire Initiatives

Giti Tire understands the complexity of our natural world and the balances that have to be kept to ensure sustainable living. They have taken a proactive stance to reduce the amount of manufacturing waste both in terms of wastewater and waste materials. Giti vows to produce a tire that lasts longer, reduces carbon emissions through increased fuel mileage, and takes part in reforestation projects throughout China.

Tips for Making Any Tire Green

It doesn’t matter what brand or type of tire you have, there are steps you can take to make any tire more efficient. First and foremost, you will want to maximize your tire life so that you get the most use out of what you already have. Secondly, you want to provide your tires with what they need to work as they were designed, so that you get the best fuel mileage possible. Both aspects keep tires on the road longer and out of landfills, as well as maximize the number of miles you get out of every gallon of fuel. Here are a few tips on how to make any tire the greenest it can be.

  1. Tire Pressures – Keeping tire pressures properly regulated gives them the structural support they need to roll as designed. By making sure your tires are inflated regularly, you reduce the amount of wear they undergo, and maximize their lifespan. In addition, tires that are properly inflated roll easier and reduce fuel mileage.
  2. Tire Balancing – Balancing your tires keeps them spinning in a perfect circle. As the tire wears, it will wear more heavily in certain areas and cause unbalanced weight distribution. When the tire is spun, particularly at high speeds, this unbalance causes bouncing, vibrations, poor fuel mileage, and faster tire wear. We can rebalance the tire with small tire weights added to your rim in order to counteract this. Keeping your tires balanced keeps them working as efficiently as possible.
  3. Tire Rotations – Just as your tires don’t end up perfectly balanced, your car doesn’t have perfect weight distribution either. Having more weight under the engine, and how you drive, both have direct effects on how fast your tires wear. The more weight a certain tire carries, the faster it is going to wear down. For most cars, trucks, and SUVs, the front driver’s side tire consistently holds the most weight and wears fastest. To prolong the lifespan of your tires, you should rotate them so they each can share the brunt of the weight for a period of time.
  4. Tire Protectants – As rubber dries out, it gets hard, cracks, and turns brittle. When you then attempt to drive on those tires, they can become a serious risk when under increasing pressures from driving. Using a rubber protectant on your tires not only keeps they clean and shiny, but it also keeps them lubricated and elastic as they should be. This gives you a longer tire life, keeping your tires on the road and out of the dump.

While we are far from getting where we need to be in terms of efficiency, companies like Giti are ensuring that we take the steps needed to get there. There are many approaches to achieving sustainability, and those who are able to unite these different angles are going to be leading the pack very soon. Every dollar invested in Giti is a dollar invested into your own efficiency, as well as a dollar invested into our collective future.

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(CEO / Editor / Journalist) – Bruno is the owner and CEO of Motorward.com; he’s responsible for the entire team, editorial guidelines and publishing. Bruno has many years of experience in the auto industry, both managing automotive websites and contributing to the press.