DECATUR, Ill. — New tires that Goodyear will start selling later this month are soybean slick – in that the oil from the crop is used to produce them – and they are designed to give drivers better traction in wet and colder conditions.

 

The Ohio-based company used the backdrop of the Farm Progress Show in Decatur to announce, along with the United Soybean Board (USB), that Goodyear has completed nearly six years of research and produced a rubber tire that company officials say is more environmentally friendly, as well as a better-performing product overall.

During a press conference on the first day of the Farm Progress Show, USB Chair John Motter noted that funds from the national soybean checkoff helped cover part of Goodyear’s costs in developing the new passenger tires, which will be made in sizes that will fit nearly three-quarters of cars, SUVs and trucks.

“The soy checkoff is committed to looking at our crop as more than just bushels,” Motter said. “We’re considering the value of our soybeans and how we can get more back to the farm gate. We’re leading the way by meeting our end users’ needs with a sustainable, reliable crop that performs in the ways they need it to. 

 

“This tire is a clear example of how U.S. soybeans and your checkoff are doing just that.”

The new tire line, called Assurance WeatherReady, will be available for purchase by consumers before the end of the month, said Bob Wolosyznek, a Goodyear engineer who worked on the project.

“The launch of new, innovative products to meet the ever-increasing demands of our customers allows us to showcase our latest technology developments,” he said. “In developing one of our latest material’s technologies, we have crossed paths with the American farmer. I am proud to announce Goodyear’s successful application of soybean oil in commercially available passenger tires – a first in our industry.”

Motter said he fully expects other tire companies to start producing their own goods with soybean oil because it’s less expensive than using petroleum and it does produce better traction in colder temperatures and in wet conditions compared to conventional tires.

Wolosyznek explained the bean oil improves flexibility of the tire at lower temperatures and mixes easily with the rubber compound, resulting in less energy for production. Production of the Assurance line of tires will use an estimated 60,000 bushels of soybeans annually – not a huge amount compared to what is produced each year, but nonetheless an important new market for soybeans overall, Motter said.

As more companies begin using soybeans for production of tires, he estimated about 2 million acres worth of soybeans would need to be allocated just for tire production.

“When we started working with (Goodyear) more than six years ago, it was just an idea (to find new uses for soy oil),” he said. “Now, we have a tire that shows what soy can do on the road.”