Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. unveiled two new consumer tires and a new package for trucking fleets during its annual Customer Conference. New tires include:
- The Goodyear Assurance ComfortDrive, an all-season tire that includes Goodyear ComfortFlex Technology, designed for smoother transitions and impact absorption, while delivering "ultra-refined" handling; optimized aqua-channel grooves that are symmetrically balanced to help maximize water evacuation and reduce hydroplaning for enhanced wet road performance; and other features. The tire will be available in September 2020 in 44 sizes, ranging from 16- to 20-inch rim diameters;
- The Goodyear WinterCommand Ultra, which the company calls its “strongest-performing winter tire yet.” The studless tire will be available during the third quarter of 2020 in 23 initial sizes, covering 15- to 18-inch rim diameters. Thirty additional sizes for 18- and 20-inch rim diameters will be introduced next year. The WinterCommand Ultra contains Goodyear’s Cryo-Adaptative compound for enhanced pliability; V-Tred Technology for optimal water, snow and slush evacuation; and other features.
During the conference, which is taking place this week near Denver, Colo., Goodyear unveiled its Goodyear Tire Management program for trucking fleets. Components include:
- Goodyear Tire Optix, a digital inspection toolset that helps fleets detect critical tire data, such as air pressure, tread depth and tire wear conditions;
- Goodyear CheckPoint, a drive-over reader device that provides automated inspections of tire pressure and tread depth. “Positioned at a fleet yard entrance, this in-ground device scans passing trucks and triggers alerts to fleet maintenance if there are any immediate tire concerns that require attention,” say Goodyear officials;
- Goodyear TPMS Plus, an on-vehicle, active monitoring system that evaluates tire conditions in real-time using Goodyear’s unique, fleet-specific algorithms. TPMS Plus helps fleets identify critical issues, such as tire air leaks and high temperatures;
- Goodyear TireReady, a tire subscription program that is “custom-designed to meet the specific needs of an individual fleet. Goodyear and its dealer network will manage and optimize the entire lifecycle of a tire – from new tire choices to retreads, monitoring, service, analytics and more.”
In addition, Goodyear added three sizes to its Goodyear Fuel Max RTD (Regional Traction Drive), which the company calls its “best premium regional drive tire.” The Goodyear Fuel Max RTD line is currently available in OE sizes 11R22.5 (Load Ranges G and H) and 255/70R22.5 (Load Range H). By the second quarter of 2020, the tire will be available in sizes 225/70R19.5 (Load Range G), 245/70R19.5 (Load Range H) and 295/75R22.5 (Load Range G.)
