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15/06/2009
By EWAN KENNEDY
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In an interesting move that could attract a lot of publicity, Korean tyre maker Hankook is making a strong marketing push with its new low-rolling resistance tyre. Called the enfren (sort of an abbreviation for ‘environmentally friendly’), this tyre is about to be introduced to Australia. A selected group of motoring journalists was invited to Eastern Creek raceway in Sydney’s west to test multiple facets of the new tyre.
 There we were able to drive several Hyundai cars with the Hankook enfren tyres as the two South Korean companies are anxious to assist one another on anything to do with environmental improvements. We weren’t able to carry out fuel-economy testing on the enfren tyres because that's a very time consuming business.
But we were able to prove to ourselves that low-rolling resistance tyres can feel normal in day-to-day driving. Track testing on the bends of the demanding circuit, as well as driving on the skid pad, showed the enfren tyres felt much like anything else from a driving point of view.
Turn in on the corners, as well as through slaloms was easy and responsive. Braking had plenty of punch and felt safe and predictable. And acceleration didn’t induce any more wheelspin that you would expect in any other spirited acceleration testing.
This is an important factor as, rightly or wrongly, many drivers refuse to buy environmentally friendly automotive products if they feel they are losing out on performance, feel, or ride comfort.
Our general feeling is that most drivers wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the standard Hankook tyres in the same class and these new enfren units.
Not until it became time to refuel that is, because we were able to witness some basic rolling resistance tests being carried out by professional drivers at Eastern Creek, as well as to watch some video footage of extended on-road driving. Not pure economy driving, but driving in a real-world manner on normal roads. It was carried out under supervision, to standard European fuel consumption testing regimes and we have seen the test certification results.
 During this testing it was shown that the Hankook enfren tyres used just over five per cent less fuel than the anonymous standard tyre from a competing maker. This is a significant saving in anyone’s terms.
Hankook made the valid point that cars have improved significantly over the last decade or so, particularly in fuel efficiency, but that not everyone who owns a ten-year old car can afford to replace it and gain these fuel saving benefits. You may know a new car has a better fuel injection system, or a multispeed transmission, and probably improved aerodynamics as well. But you can't simply add these features to your existing car without spending huge amounts of money.
However, new tyres are a ‘bolt-on’ item to use the engineering term. You simply bolt the tyres to your car and five per cent fuel savings are there for the asking.
Interested in these new low-rolling resistance tyres that are soon to go on sale in Australia? Then contact your local Hankook tyre retailer or click onto www.hankooktyre.com.au for further information on introduction timing and prices. |
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