Goodyear announces soybean-based compound for waste haul tire

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., headquartered in Akron, Ohio, debuted its latest tire innovation at Waste Expo in Las Vegas. Goodyear launched a new formulation of its Endurance WHA waste haul tire made with a renewable soybean oil compound. Soybean oil replaces a portion of the petroleum-based materials traditionally used in tire production.

Jessica Julian, product marketing manager for Goodyear, says the inclusion of the soybean oil compound aligns with Goodyear’s focus on providing sustainable options for Goodyear’s clients as well as increasing Goodyear’s overall sustainability as a company.

The soybean oil in the tire is a bio-based material currently sourced from surplus left over from food applications and is another step in Goodyear’s global journey to fully replace petroleum-derived oils by 2040.

“Producing the new Endurance WHA tire lineup with a sustainable soybean oil compound will help waste haul fleets pursue their sustainability goals while delivering the long hours to removal that the Endurance WHA tire is known for,” Julian said. “In each new Endurance WHA tire, soybean oil will replace almost 16 liquid ounces of free-flowing petroleum oil – almost as much as a 16-ounce red plastic party cup. When you multiply that by a moderately-sized regional waste haul fleet of around 500 trucks, it could decrease petroleum-based products by the equivalent of almost 15 barrels of oil.” 

Julian said the technology for the tire was first applied in the company’s consumer tires, and the success of that application allowed Goodyear to expand the use to its larger commercial tires.

Endurance WHA tire models made with soybean oil are now available for order and will head into production in Q3 of 2022.

The Endurance WHA tire is designed to keep waste haul fleets on the road longer with a dual-layer tread compound that helps optimize treadwear. Add to that, rolling resistance and a deep 24/32" skid depth for long tread life in waste haul applications. Additionally, the Endurance WHA comes with optional built-in DuraSeal Technology that instantly seals tread punctures to help fleets reduce downtime, costly repairs and premature removal of a tire.

Goodyear also offers a cloud-based system, TPMS, that provides fleet insights to its customers. Users can receive updates and warnings on tire pressure and performance to keep track of fleets and stay up to date on maintenance.