Four New Tires Enhance Motoring Safety

AKRON, Ohio, Nov. 3, 2004 -- In a few weeks, more than 32 million Americans will take to the road for the Thanksgiving holiday, but many will make the trip on only two good tires.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company today said that for optimal handling, stability and traction, four new tires definitely are better than two. And in an emergency maneuver, they're a must, particularly in areas where snow is forecast.

Bob Toth, marketing manager for Goodyear auto tires, said if new tires are installed on the front of a vehicle, they also should be fitted on the rear. Goodyear market research shows that nearly a third of motorists still rely on just two new tires.

"Motorists figure a cost savings up front by buying just two tires," Toth said, "but in the long run, that can be an expensive proposition. In an emergency, it's better to have a balanced vehicle with traction equalized at each corner."

To optimize traction capabilities, never mix tread patterns of different types of tires. For example, winter tire tread designs, regardless of construction, produce different handling characteristics than all-season tread patterns. Those differences can affect the handling and traction of the vehicle.

Tire buyers often purchase only two tires and install them on the drive- wheel position to get the most traction; however, on a front-wheel-drive vehicle, they transfer most of the traction capabilities from the rear to the front and may make the vehicle susceptible to oversteer, according to Toth.

Motorists replace two tires rather than four due to premature wear, usually because of a failure to rotate their tires.

Goodyear recommends that tires be rotated every 6,000 miles. Tire rotation evens out tire wear in conventional tires in each position, preserving overall balanced handling and traction. Infrequent rotation results in premature, uneven tire wear, and eventual early tire replacement.

Goodyear said a non-rotated tire could lose up to a third of its useful life due to premature wear.

Still, with today's sophisticated automotive features -- like traction control, all-wheel drive and anti-lock braking -- many motorists overlook the importance of their tire condition. That could be a costly mistake, Toth said.

"Tires play the single largest role in determining how your vehicle will handle in an emergency situation," Toth said. "It doesn't matter how many electronic systems you have on your vehicle, such as traction control and anti-lock braking. The brakes stop the wheels; the tires stop the vehicle."

When installing new tires or winter-specific tires, Toth said they "must be applied at four corners to get the full effect in winter traction."

Goodyear's line of winter tires, he added, is engineered to perform in cold temperatures, as well as in snow and slush. The new Goodyear Assurance featuring TripleTred Technology is not labeled a snow tire, yet it carries many of the same characteristics. The TripleTred is a year-round product that doesn't have to be changed over on a seasonal basis, but it does feature an Ice Zone, which translates into more gripping power on icy or snow-covered roads. This zone is enhanced by the use of fiberglass fibers and volcanic sand in the rubber, which help to present microscopic pores that act as traction elements.

In addition to a focus on tire rotation, tire inflation should be checked more frequently this time of year. Ambient temperatures affect tire inflation pressures; cold air is denser than warm air, automatically reducing a tire's pressure.

For example, a tire inflated at 32 pounds per square inch at 70 degrees will drop to 26 psi at freezing. An underinflated tire reduces fuel economy, tire life and snow traction.