Hankook reveals winged tyre

The wings on this new design of tyre will keep you grounded

Wings have been synonymous with innovation on everything in the past from maxi-yacht sailing to feminine protection. Just about the only thing they didn’t revolutionise was Sir Paul McCartney.

Now, Korean tyre giant Hankook has inducted them into automotive rubberware, using the Frankfurt motor show to pull the wraps off a prototype aerodynamic tyre.

The Ventus Aero uses six tapering winglets on its outer sidewalls to help boost downforce, pulling the wheels groundwards to maximise grip at higher speeds.

It supplements every second winglet on each wall with what the company calls a ‘dimple structure’, creating a micro-vortex around each at speed and helping cut the aerodynamic drag around the winglets.

“The impetus for the development of Ventus Aero has been to scoop out the largely unused aerodynamic possibilities when it comes to tyre design,” Hankook's chief marketing officer, Hyun Shick Cho, said in a statement.

The company has applied for a patent on the technology, which it plans to debut on its racing tyres, and thereafter into its next-gen high-end product aimed at the supercar market.

Hankook has yet to make an announcement about release schedules.

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