Goodyear Creates City Bus Tires Made with Soybean Oil

(Credit: Pixabay)

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company announced an important step in its journey to fully replace petroleum-derived oils by 2040. For the first time in its commercial truck tires, Goodyear is replacing a portion of the petroleum-based materials used in production of some of its most popular Metro Miler city transit tires with a bio-based soybean oil compound.

Goodyear says that, in these particular tires, soybean oil replaces about 11 liquid ounces of free-flowing petroleum oil per tire. The new formulation in production today uses a readily available surplus of soybean oil that is left over from food applications in the marketplace.

The Metro Miler G152 and G652 also feature technology designed to resist sidewall damage, enhance toughness, and provide long tread life. Reinforced shoulders and steel sidewalls help deliver long casing life, and the integrated sidewall wear indicators make it easier to spot wear due to excessive scuffing. These tires also include a multi-compound, scrub resistant tread that can stand up to the rigors of transit applications and extend tread life by resisting excessive wear, chunking, cracking, and chipping.

The Metro Miler G152 and G652 tire models made with soybean oil are currently in production and available now for ordering among customers looking for tires made with more sustainable materials.