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Goodyear Fools Mother Nature's El Nino

8 December 1997

Goodyear Fools Mother Nature's El Nino

    AKRON, Ohio, Dec. 8 -- El Nino might just open the skies this
winter in places where aquachannel tires are normally out of their element.
The result could be slippery conditions for motorists, according to marketers
for America's largest tire company.
    The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company said its line of wet-traction tires
could come in handy in normally dry southern California and in the desert
areas of the Southwest.  Blizzards in Colorado and the Midwest may be only
early harbingers of El Nino's effects on winter weather in the United States.
    Goodyear said motorists should look to the skies as well as under their
fenders this winter.  "It's best to be prepared for the worst in this unusual
weather pattern," said Jean-Jacques Wiroth, marketing director for consumer
tires.
    Scientists already are calling this year's El Nino the strongest in 50
years.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the warming
of eastern Pacific waters usually affects global weather patterns.
    For example, the NOAA expects a mild winter across much of the nation,
especially from the northern Plains to the Great Lakes.  A wet, perhaps
turbulent season is anticipated from California across the southern U.S. to
the coastal Carolinas.
    Relatively dry conditions are expected over the interior Pacific Northwest
into Montana and the Ohio Valley, the NOAA predicted.
    "El Nino creates conditions that motorists might be unprepared for,"
Wiroth said.
    "Driving in the rain with worn tire treads takes special precautions."
    For Goodyear's part, the tiremaker has sold more than 12 million
wet-traction tires worldwide since 1992.
    "Even in the absence of an El Nino, Goodyear responded to consumer
concerns about their tire's wet traction by developing Aquatred II and the new
Eagle F1 GS ultra-high-performance aquachannel tire line," Wiroth said.
    Skidding and hydroplaning on wet pavement are potential winter-time
driving hazards, but they don't have to be, Wiroth said.  When it rains, slow
down, steer and brake with a light touch and have a good set of tires to
resist slipping on four wheels.
    Light showers and the early minutes of heavier rains can cause more skids
than major storms, particularly after dry spells.  Oil and grease,
accumulating on the roadway mix with rainwater to make the surface more
slippery, he said.
    Equally important to resisting hydroplaning is tire care and replacing
worn tires.  Tread grooves should be at least l/16 of an inch deep.  To check
tread wear, place a penny into several grooves with Lincoln's head upside
down.  If the top of Lincoln's head shows, replace the tire.

SOURCE  Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company