A race tyre for the road

Have you ever watched motorsport on TV and been baffled by talk of ‘tyre strategy’ and the alien-like, completely smooth loops of rubber that are removed and refitted to cars in mere seconds? Then join the club – the links between what races and takes you to work aren’t obvious. With Formula E’s Gen3 cars, though, the link has never been easier to see – or simpler to enjoy as an everyday driver.

Formula E’s Gen3 car exclusively uses Hankook’s iON race tyre, which is more like Hankook’s iON road tyre range than you might dare imagine. In fact, they’re very closely related, as the Gen3 electric single-seaters use the same sort of tarmac as the electric cars you might be driving (or shopping for) right now. That’s because Formula E takes place within city courses rather than bespoke, billiard table-smooth race circuits. So there really is no better race series to develop a street-legal tyre.

All weathers

There’s no confusing tyre strategy to worry about, either. The iON race doesn’t confusingly split itself into wet or dry, soft or hard compounds. Just one, all-weather solution that copes with whatever conditions are thrown at the Formula E pack come race day – much like the iON road car on the daily commute or school run. After all, most of us don’t have a set of highly trained mechanics poised with wheel guns for a last-minute rain shower as we’re leaving the house…

Longer journeys

When it comes to electric vehicles, the most important number to worry about is the range from a full charge. This is key, whether you’re a top-level racing driver circling the streets of Rome, or a busy family trying to make it away on a well-earned break. As a result, the Hankook iON – in both race and road form – favours lower rolling resistance to eke out as many miles as possible from a charge.

This doesn’t come at the expense of safety, though, which is another primary concern for racers and families alike. The high silica content of the iON provides micro-level grip on wet surfaces, by counteracting the formation of a film of water between the road and the rubber. Impressive scores in Germany’s independent TÜV SÜD test prove its safety credentials, as well as its brilliant suitability for an EV, compared to a conventional tyre.

Better control

The tough demands of instant torque aren’t exclusive to Formula E cars. Every electric car on the road, particularly a premium family SUV, has a more potent amount of power than its petrol equivalent, and it’s usually active as soon as you’re on the throttle. That means you need a strong tyre capable of smoothly turning this torque into motion, without any frustrating or worrying wheelspin. That’s where the iON’s extended outer shoulder blocks step in, as they’re designed to better control the prodigious power beneath. Unsurprisingly, original equipment tyres from Hankook – optimised for electromobility – are already being used by Audi, BMW, Porsche and Tesla on their high-performance EVs.

Under pressure

While you may not have a Hankook engineer to assist and advise you on your tyres every time you head off on a long journey, keeping your car’s pressures in check is a habit we can all get into. Checking tyre pressure on a regular basis – even if your car has an on-board monitoring system – is the best way to keep the low rolling resistance at its optimum and your car’s range figure and safety credentials at their peak. Indeed, duff pressure can have a bigger impact on the performance of EVs than their traditional petrol or diesel ancestors.

Will the iON fit my needs?

The iON range is available in a wealth of tyre sizes for wheels between 18 and 22 inches, and now includes the iON winter, for those who frequently drive in snowier, more slippery climes. It has the same technical properties of the rest of the iON range, including the iON race: lower rolling resistance and noise, and a strong grip – even with lots of torque to handle.

For more information about the Hankook iON tyre range, click here