Yokohama Rolls Out BluEarth Ultra Wide Base Drive Tire

Yokohama Tire Corp. has launched the first commercial product in its environmentally friendly BluEarth line – the BluEarth 709L ultra wide base (UWB) drive tire.

“The BluEarth designation reflects Yokohama’s most advanced environmental technologies, and the BluEarth 709L UWB definitely fits the bill,” said Andrew Briggs, Yokohama’s senior director of tire business planning, product planning and sales operations. “It’s been engineered to be our most fuel-efficient drive tire yet with exceptional performance. Along with superior tread life and a highly durable casing, the BluEarth 709L UWB will provide extraordinary service for our fleet customers and operators throughout the country.”

The SmartWay-verified tire is designed for maximum fuel efficiency with an advanced compound that is resistant to heat build-up and a 24/32” tread depth for low rolling resistance, Yokohama said.

A directional tread pattern helps the tire’s traction in wet and snowy conditions without sacrificing fuel efficiency and a Z-block design created biting edges for grip during accelerations, the tiremaker adds.

Additionally, distinctive tie-bar connectors increase block rigidity to reduce heel-toe wear, seven circumferential grooves evacuate water tread for more contact with the road and funnel-shaped grooves prevent debris from enter the groove and causing damage.

The BluEarth 709L UWB comes with a six-year, three retread warranty and is now available in size 445/50R22.5.

For more information on the BluEarth commercial tire, visit www.YokohamaTruck.com.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has named Ryan Waldron as president of the company's Americas business unit, reporting to Chief Executive Officer and President Mark Stewart. He succeeds Steven R. McClellan, who retired on April 1.

"At Goodyear, our customers are at the center of everything we do, and in Ryan Waldron, we have a customer-centric, execution-focused business leader with a deep understanding of both the marketplace and all aspects of our business, as well as a proven track record of delivering results," Stewart said. "I am thrilled to announce him as president of Goodyear's Americas business and have enormous confidence that under his leadership, both the company and our customers will reach even greater levels of success."