Lexus UX Concept Sports Cutting Edge Goodyear Concept Tires

By adpock - October 5, 2016

goodyear-urban-crossover-on-the-lexus-ux

We’ve talked at length about the newly-debuted Lexus UX Concept currently wowing folks at the Paris Motor Show. But we’ve been so excited about the design, we’ve barely even mentioned the UX’s hi-tech tires.

Fittingly, the UX Concept has been fitted with a concept tire: Goodyear’s Urban CrossOver. The tire has been designed specifically for the UX, and it represents, in rubber form, a meaningful partnership for Goodyear and Lexus, one which seeks to “explore new frontiers of tire design and apply state-of-the-art technology,” according to Goodyear’s press release.

Just looking at the tires, you can see they at least accomplished part one of their goal, as it doesn’t seem to look like anything else we’ve ever seen. That’s because they committed to an “inside-out” philosophy, which makes the “internal elements blend with the external ones, and vice versa.” So the spokes blend into the sidewall, which blends into the rest of the car.

But it’s not all about looks, the tire also utilizes Goodyear’s Sound Comfort Technology, which makes for a much quieter ride. That’s achieved by using an “open-cell polyurethane foam element attached to the inner surface of the tire,” which dampens the resonance normally created by the tire cavity.

The tire also features chip-in-tire tech, which communicates with the car’s on-board computer to perform better whilst cornering or braking. And of course a tire as rugged looking as the Urban Crossover has to have RunOnFlat technology as well.

If the Urban Crossover is representative of what we can expect from Goodyear’s partnership with Lexus, then we’re certainly excited to see what’s next. How about you?