Yokohama BluEarth-GT AE51 tyre review

We are big fans of Yokohama’s BluEarth tyres, having run it on our (previous generation) long term test Creta for over 35,000km. Those tyres, designed two years ago, were made for the expanding range of compact, mid-size and full-size SUVs. In our tests we found them to be comfortable and quiet with good wet weather grip though the dry weather grip didn’t set any new benchmarks. Yokohama is now expanding the range with the BluEarth-GT, made in India at Yokohama’s plant at Bahadurgarh in Haryana, and claimed to blend comfort and performance for passenger car applications.

These are asymmetric pattern tyres with the rigid inside shoulder designed for comfort while the wider rib on the outside with blind grooves is claimed to deliver improved stability. On the tread pattern the GT tyres have three wide ribs in the centre for increased circumferential rigidity and straight-line stability at speed. Wet weather performance is improved by lightning grooves and blade cut sipes which maintains tread block rigidity while displacing water from the tread. These tyres have a 2-layer carcass construction for enhanced durability and rigidity and the deformation-reducing profile is claimed to reduce heat generation, thus resulting in better fuel efficiency. Also aiding fuel efficiency are dimples on the tyre shoulder to reduce air drag. Compared to Yokohama’s earlier AE50 tyres, these AE51s have better blocks thus, evenly spreading out the contact patch, leading to better anti-uneven wear control.

We have had unseasonal rains all through October around our home base of Pune and the first impressions of these tyres that we are testing on our Hyundai i20 is of improved wet weather grip, both in terms of cornering and braking. We’ve just started the tests and have yet to evaluate the handling on our test routes in dry weather and we will keep you updated in upcoming reports. What we have noticed though is a definite improvement in ride comfort and reduced tyre noise.

The BluEarth GT tyres are available in 26 sizes from 14 to 17 inches and are priced from Rs 4800 to 12,600 and available from all Yokohama dealerships.