Sumitomo releases "all-season" tire with adaptive tread

Sumitomo Rubber Industries has introduced a new all-season tire, the Dunlop Synchro Weather, which utilizes the Active Tread technology and is capable of "synchronizing with the weather", thus, as the manufacturer claims, on a wet surface, the novelty is comparable in its properties to summer tires (Dunlop Enasave EC204) and at the same time is able to work effectively on ice, unlike "standard" all-season tires (Dunlop All Season Maxx AS1). At the same time, the company emphasizes that in the event of road icing, it is still better to use specialized winter tires, such as the Dunlop SP Winter Ice 03 with studs.

"In October 2023, we introduced the Active Tread technology, which allows rubber compounds to change their characteristics depending on the environment, and it was first applied in the creation of the Synchro Weather all-season tire of the new generation. Thanks to this, the novelty combines the characteristics of summer and winter tires," - note in Sumitomo. - "Usually, tires need to be replaced according to the time of year, but the new product can be operated without fear both in summer and in winter".

The use of the "active tread" technology means that two "switching" mechanisms are involved. The first, which the company calls the "water switch", changes the connections in the rubber compound from covalent to ionic when in contact with water, as a result of which the compound becomes softer, which increases the level of grip in rainy conditions. Thanks to this, the braking distance of the new tires on a wet surface is 6% shorter than that of the summer Dunlop Enasave EC204, while in comparison with the winter Dunlop Winter Maxx 02, the braking efficiency is 27% higher. In turn, the "temperature switch" also affects the softness of the rubber, and the company says that at room temperature, the Synchro Weather is comparable in elasticity to standard summer tires, and with cooling, the novelty becomes softer, which, again, enhances grip. Due to this, the braking distance of the new tires on ice is only 2% longer than that of the Winter Maxx 02.

"By combining these two mechanisms, we have created a tire with unprecedented characteristics, which demonstrates high efficiency on all types of surfaces, including dry and wet asphalt, as well as snow and ice," - assures the manufacturer, adding that the use of new tires will not only free drivers from the need for seasonal tire replacement, but also reduce the number of used tires and minimize the impact on the environment.

Thanks to the new technology, Dunlop Synchro Weather was able to obtain not only the "Alpine symbol", but also the Ice Grip marking, which is not even available for Michelin CrossClimate, which once radically changed the situation in the all-season tire market. Even European-type winter tires do not have such a marking, and the conditions of this standard were previously met only by "Scandinavian" tires.

As for the tread pattern, there are no revolutionary solutions here, and Synchro Weather has a V-shaped directional design created using the latest modeling technologies and developed for both fast water drainage and snow removal, as well as reducing noise levels. According to the manufacturer, the novelty is comparable in noise level to the summer Dunlop Enasave EC204, while the optimized angle of the groove and lamella arrangement made it possible to increase the tire life.

At the initial stage, the new Dunlop tires will be available in 40 sizes from 165/50 R15 to 235/55 R19, and according to the Japanese classification, the tires received an "A/B" rating for fuel efficiency and "b/c" for grip on wet surfaces (using a scale from "AAA" to "C" and from "a" to "d", respectively). In the future, it is planned to produce tires in more than 100 sizes, including for 22-inch wheels.