Goodyear Winter Tires 'Get A Grip' With New Ultra Grip Line
1 November 1999
Goodyear Winter Tires 'Get A Grip' With New Ultra Grip Line
AKRON, Ohio, Nov. 1 -- With La Nina-related weather
conditions persisting in the Pacific Ocean into the millennium, The Goodyear
Tire & Rubber Co. announced today a streamlined array of Ultra Grip winter
tires to fit the family car, sports car and sport-utility vehicle.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19991101/CLM001 )
The need for winter tires and tires with improved wet traction might be
growing if climate research is correct. Three of the new tires feature an
IceLoc silica tread compound that remains flexible in cold weather.
For example, the studless IceLoc silica-based Ultra Grip Ice delivers up
to 35 percent improved snow traction and up to 40 percent better ice traction
than conventional all-season tires. Ultra Grip Ice tires were rated highly
this month by a leading consumer magazine.
Goodyear also has introduced IceLoc silica tread compounds in its Eagle
Ultra Grip performance tires and Wrangler Ultra Grip light truck tires. A
studdable Ultra Grip winter tire is available for those areas where studded
tires are required and allowed.
"Snow tires are out; winter tires are in," according to Bob Toth,
marketing manager for Goodyear auto tires. "Snow tires were knobby, noisy and
unattractive -- good for driving in the snow only; they had poor traction and
handling characteristics otherwise, in the dry and wet.
"Thanks to silica compounds, we've engineered tires that are as effective
on snow and ice as on dry or wet pavement. The tread compound operates in a
wide range of temperatures," Toth added.
La Nina, characterized by cooler than normal sea surface temperatures in
the equatorial Pacific Ocean, could produce above-average rainfall or snowfall
in the Northern U.S. and Canada, forecasters say.
Forecasters have been predicting La Nina's demise all year. Now they're
saying the weather pattern will likely continue into 2000 and possibly, 2001.
Toth said the new winter tire technology is designed to provide added
traction and confidence when the weather turns colder. According to the
National Weather Service, 75 percent of all winter weather-related deaths
occur on roads, either in accidents or when people are stranded.
In Europe, leading auto manufacturers, such as DaimlerChrysler, Audi, BMW,
Honda and Toyota recommend that four winter tires be used for winter driving.
Goodyear recommends replacing all-season tires with four winter tires, because
differences in traction, size and stages of wear affect a vehicle's handling
and stability.
"Tires play an extremely important 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. Tires ultimately determine your ability to stop, start or
corner.
"We want to educate consumers on the need for winter tires in North
America. They have become an endangered species -- unfairly, I think. After
all, the all-season tire represents a compromise when it comes to winter
driving, particularly in the northern United States and throughout Canada,"
Toth said.
In 1972, before Goodyear invented the industry's first all-season tire,
the Tiempo, 19 million -- or 13.4 percent of the market -- winter tires were
sold in the United States. Today, the all-season tire has whittled the winter
tire market down to 8 million -- or 4.5 percent of the replacement tire
market.
Toth said new winter traction technology in tires like the Ultra Grip Ice
could reverse the trend. "There's no substitute for the traction and the
feelings of confidence that winter tires offer at low temperatures."
Because of the efficiency of snow-removal techniques today, winter tires
are used predominantly in wet, slushy, or dry conditions. Thanks to
Goodyear's directional tread designs and compounds that retain their
flexibility over a wide range of temperatures, winter tires offer the best of
all worlds, he said.
The numerous blades and grooves in Ultra Grip tread designs also keep the
treadface pliant and provide thousands of "biting" edges to promote traction,
he added.
Whatever the tire choice, proper care also ensures good winter traction.
Underinflation reduces fuel economy, shortens tire life and reduces traction
in snow because a disproportionate amount of weight is concentrated on the
edges or shoulders of the tire, Toth said.
Check tire pressure more frequently in the winter and maintain at levels
listed in the vehicle's owner manual, not the maximum inflation printed on the
tire sidewall. Cold air is less dense than warm air, automatically reducing
tire inflation pressure. For example, a tire inflated at 32 pounds per square
inch at 70 degrees will drop to 26 psi at freezing.
In addition to tire inspections for adequate tread depth, check hoses,
belts, wiper blades and fluid levels -- particularly antifreeze -- prior to
winter, Goodyear advises.