Yokohama develops tyres with fin pattern to aid aerodynamics

Japanese tyre maker, Yokohama displayed a new fin pattern, aerodynamic tyre at the 44th Tokyo Motor Show.

The tyre maker has been focusing on aerodynamic design to reduce vehicle air drag, since 2010. This latest design controls the aerodynamic flow throughout the vehicle body, using a fin shape and placement technique which ensures that the fin protuberances are at angles near the tyre's shoulder. These fins on the tyre sidewall (outer) helps to reduce vehicle drag as well as it suppresses vehicle aerodynamic lift.

In 2012, the company had developed a technology for placing fin-shaped protuberances on the inner sidewall of the tyre, with an aim to reduce aero drag inside the wheel wells. These fins were placed in a radial or spoke-like pattern.