Local Sheriff’s Office testing tires connected to one of Ohio’s biggest crops

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - There’s a lot riding on a gift to a local sheriff’s office. It’s a set of tires. And they have a connection to one of the most common crops grown in Ohio.

When you think of soybeans, tires might not be the first thing that comes to mind. But an Ohio-based company has been using oil from the plant in some of its products for the last few years, and the Wood County Sheriff’s Office is taking a set on a test drive.

Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn says one cruiser has been testing out a new set of soy-based tires made for patrol vehicles.

“The Ohio Soybean Council got in touch with me and asked if I would like a set of soy-based tires instead of petroleum-based. They gave us a set of the Goodyear tires,” Wasylyshyn said.

So how do they stack up to other tires in the fleet?

“I can’t tell the difference between that set and the set of tires on my cruiser. Both treads are the same, and everything looks the same,” Wasylyshyn said.

According to Goodyear, the use of soybean oil improves the flexibility of the tire in lower temperatures and enhances traction in both rain and snow.

“We put about one million miles a year on our fleet. We drive a lot. We are hard on tires, so tires are very important to us. If they last comparable to what we have and the price is comparable, I will be all about buying soy-based tires,” Wasylyshyn said.

Sheriff Wasylyshyn says a safe, environmentally friendly and cost-effective product makes sense for the fleet. But he adds that it’s about more than the tires.

“The soybeans are grown in Ohio, and the tire plant is in Ohio. Wood County is one of the top producers of soybeans in the state. I am excited because if I can help farmers raise the bean prices by helping create more demand, that’s great,” Wasylyshyn said.

The sheriff plans to drive home the message about a product that is grown and made in the Buckeye State.

“Any opportunity to buy American-made, and when I can buy Ohio-grown and made, that’s about as good as it gets,” Wasylyshyn said.

The sheriff says they’ve been testing the tires for several weeks. He says they won’t make a decision about buying soy-based tires until they can compare prices and they have enough data on the durability of the tires. He expects that to be sometime next year.

Latest Local News | First Alert Weather | Crime | National | 13abc Originals