More Ford Models Coming With Fuel Efficient Tires

With gasoline prices on a rise, American automaker Ford decided to offer its customers alternative solutions to improve its vehicles’ fuel economy, one of them being the low-rolling-resistance tires that have so far been fitted on the 2011 Ford Taurus, 2011 Ford Edge, 2011 Ford Fusion and 2011 Ford Explorer.

Now, the manufacturer announced it has decided to extend this offering to some further four models in its range, namely to the Fiesta SFE, Focus SFE, Fusion Hybrid and Lincoln MKZ Hybrid.

“Tire technology, pressures and wear can make a big difference to a vehicle's fuel economy, so Ford is working closely with leading tire companies to optimize performance with low-rolling-resistance tires,” said David Rohweder, global chief engineer for Tire and Wheel Engineering.

The rolling resistance is a measure of the force required for the tire to travel down the road, and reportedly comes as a key attribute in improving fuel economy. A 10 percent improvement in rolling resistance leads to a fuel economy improvement of as much as 2 percent, according to Ford's tire experts.

At the moment, a whole team of specialists at Ford work on researching materials found in other products like athletic shoes to see if there is potential for automotive application.

“Ford is leading the drive for innovation in fuel economy, and one mechanism to do that is through our research program on advanced tire technologies,” said Dr. Cynthia Flanigan, group leader for materials research. “Our goal is to anticipate, innovate and incorporate technologies and materials to make Ford a leader in fuel economy and to help deliver superior low-rolling-resistance tires to customers faster than anyone else.”