---

Goodyear Goes South for the Winter Snow and Ice

27 October 1998

Goodyear Goes South for the Winter Snow and Ice

    EGLIN AFB, Fla., Oct. 26 -- The blazing sun and snow-white
sand beaches are normally the attraction for nearby Fort Walton Beach.
America's largest tiremaker, however, comes here for the fabulous ice and
snow.
    Based in Akron, Ohio, engineers from The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
could wait a couple of months at home for the obvious, but they go to extremes
for winter tire testing.  Even if it means traveling to sunny Florida in
September and October to test tires in Eglin Air Force Base's McKinley
Climatic Laboratory, which can replicate Christmas in July.
    Ferd Boehmer, senior development engineer for Goodyear's tire testing
department, said the world's largest climatic chamber allows the tiremaker to
control snow and ice conditions for testing.  Large enough to house a Boeing
747 aircraft, the chamber can reach temperature extremes of -65 degrees F to
165 degrees F.
    The U.S. Air Force normally tests military aircraft for icing on the wings
and other components in the chamber.  However, in a dramatic departure,
Goodyear engineers use snow-making equipment to re-create winter conditions
facing motorists in the northern U.S. and Canada.  Boehmer said new winter
tires, including the Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice passenger car tire, are passing
the test.
    For three months this winter, Boehmer and fellow engineers test tires in
the snow of Ironwood, Mich.  "In the great outdoors, we're at the mercy of
Mother Nature.  It's difficult to maintain consistency.  If the sun comes out,
it changes the snow characteristics.  As soon as you run over it, the
structure of the snow crystal changes," he said.
    Changes in temperature and snow structure make winter tire testing a
formidable challenge.  These inconsistencies in winter testing have challenged
tire designers for decades.  That's one reason that all-season tires can't
match the snow and ice traction of a dedicated winter tire.  The all-season-
tire compromise still exists, Boehmer said.
    Florida snow -- at least that at Eglin AFB -- offers more consistency,
although it can lack moisture content.  "Despite the consistency problems that
Mother Nature throws at us, the 'real' snow testing has value.  Eglin simply
offers us more data for engineering even better winter tires.
    "To get the best winter traction, you can't beat an ice-snow tire that's
worth its salt.  Traction and safety are a must when the snowflakes start
falling," Boehmer concluded.