Yokohama Rubber announced it is supplying its Geolandar X-CV tires as original equipment (OE) for Toyota Motor Corporation’s first-ever Grand Highlander Midsize SUV, launched in North America in June 2023. The Grand Highlander is being fitted with 255/65R18 111H and 255/55R20 107V size tires.
The Geolandar X-CV tire tread pattern is designed to provide balance between high quietness and driving performance on wet and snowy roads, two things Yokohama said are difficult to achieve simultaneously. In addition, the lightweight design reduces rolling resistance.
The tires being supplied as OE for the Grand Highlander were developed using Yokohama Rubber’s proprietary HAICoLab, an AI-based development framework that aims to foster new discoveries and digital innovation by merging human creativity with AI’s enormous data processing capability. To achieve the highly quiet ride, an optimal pitch sequence was obtained using evolutionary computation (genetic algorithms), one of the technologies incorporated in HAICoLab, Yokohama said. The technologies applied in the development of the tires are based on new knowledge obtained by collecting actual data and virtual data generated by simulations and then using AI’s predict, analyze and search functions.
