Eco-Friendly Prius Runs on Goodyear Tires

AKRON, Ohio, March 17 -- The popular Toyota Prius, with its excellent fuel economy and low emissions, is distinguished by its ability to run on either gasoline or battery power. But it also runs on Goodyear tires.

North America's largest tire maker was selected to provide its Goodyear Integrity tires for the 2005 Prius. The tires are designed to offer a smooth ride -- essential to the fuel efficiency targets of the vehicle.

The Prius has an EPA-estimated combined city/highway average rating of 55 miles per gallon. It qualifies as a "hybrid" vehicle, powered by both an electric motor and a gasoline engine. The battery-powered motor helps save fuel and reduce emissions by driving the car at low speeds and by assisting the gas engine during acceleration. Coasting and decelerating recharge the motor's batteries, so no plug-in is required.

Of the Integrity tire fitment on the Prius, noted enthusiast magazine Car & Driver stated, "now commanding a decent set of tires -- P185/65R15 Goodyear Integrity. The Goodyears are built to favor fuel economy over luxurious touring or sporty autocrossing, but they roll relatively quietly down the road and generate 0.76 g of sideways stick in the corners and 0.89 g in a straight line under braking."

The Prius-Goodyear connection also has worked well in an application far different from what drivers of the hybrid car will experience on normal streets and highways.

Last fall, a specially designed Prius set a hybrid vehicle land speed record at the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, topping 130 miles per hour. The exercise was carried out by Toyota to draw attention to the increasing performance capabilities of today's hybrid vehicles.

In addition to other modifications to the Prius, which allowed the vehicle to accomplish the high-speed mark, it used unique 26-inch front and 25-inch rear Goodyear Eagle race tires.

Goodyear tires are original equipment on many vehicles from Acura, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hummer, Infiniti, Isuzu, Jeep, Land Rover, Lexus, Mazda, Mercury, Nissan and Toyota. Traditionally, more new vehicles in North America are equipped with Goodyear tires than any other brand.