Goodyear Ride Comfort Pleases Boomer Bottoms

AKRON, Ohio, Jan. 15 -- Goodyear test driver Rick Neale uses a seat-of-the-pants approach to analyze ride comfort.

Actually, Neale detects ride comfort through the steering wheel and floor as well as his seat.

After 17 years of driving tires over various pavement surfaces, Neale says he's attuned to the shakes that can jar motorist nerves. To him, it's a science akin to instrumented readings in the laboratory.

As baby boomers age, ride comfort is a growing concern. Already, hundreds of thousands of Americans have opted for a crossover or luxury SUV rather than the ride and handling of a truck.

Sales of crossover SUVs grew 104 percent in the first 10 months of 2001 compared to last year, according to Ward's Automotive. Sales of traditional, truck-based SUVs are flat.

The drive for ride comfort doesn't rest totally with Goodyear's Neale, according to Steve Myers, marketing manager for light-truck tires. Engineers used sophisticated technology to develop the new Fortera HL sport-utility- vehicle tire -- designed specifically for ride comfort and quietness.

Mark Seloover, team leader for the tire-vehicle engineering technology ride team, said Neale's input is important and is supplemented by a standardized test procedure to provide objective measures of ride performance.

``Objective and subjective feedback are crucial to getting the best ride quality. Both are needed to tell us how drivers and passengers will react to the motoring experience,'' Seloover said.

Key to Goodyear's test procedure is to measure vibrations and noise with consistent test setups and conditions. The vehicle is outfitted with instrumentation and sensors on the front and rear axles, the steering wheel, the driver's seat bottom and back and the floor near the driver's feet.

``The human element still is important in recording results, and a test driver is needed to ensure consistency in driving conditions for the objective testing. Lastly, even in the objective test procedure, we record the driver's subjective rating,'' Seloover said.

Fortera, Myers said, is engineered for the crossover and luxury SUVs as well as the aging boomers. ``They may want the smooth, soft ride of Goodyear's Classic Super Cushion tires -- and the space, flexibility and lifestyle of a sport-utility.

``With Goodyear's Fortera tire, they can have all that plus the precise handling, traction and long treadlife delivered by today's tire technology, Myers said.

The federal government says 35 million Americans are 65 years and older. That number is expected to double by 2030.

Based on those demographics, expect ride comfort and tire quietness to become even more important in the next decade, Myers said.