Goodyear Invents New Steel Passenger Car Tire Technology
16 February 1998
Goodyear Invents New Steel Passenger Car Tire Technology
ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 16 - The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
announced today that it will strengthen its leadership in North
America with the introduction of the world's strongest tire reinforcement
material in two new tires, including a run-flat in family car sizes.
Goodyear officials said the new ultra-tensile steel technology allows it
to replace the two-ply polyester carcass used in most passenger-car tires
today. A ply of ultra-tensile steel delivers improved treadlife, excellent
wet and dry traction and precise handling and steering response as compared to
the two-ply construction.
The company said the steel initially will be used in two new tires, the
Eagle F1 Steel ultra-high-performance tire and the Eagle Aquasteel EMT, a
run-flat wet-traction performance tire both available at retailers on
April 1. Eagle Aquasteel EMT is capable of up to 50 miles at 55 mph at zero
inflation pressure.
Eugene Culler, executive vice president for North America Tires, said the
new technology gives Goodyear a competitive advantage in its home market.
"Ultra-tensile steel gives us a clear lead in the technology race. We now can
deliver extended treadwear without compromising the leadership position we
enjoy in the industry for wet traction and safety performance.
"We intend to lead, as we always have done, especially in our home market
of North America. The leader in this market eventually will win the battle
for global leadership of the tire industry," Culler said. "Steel brings us
another step closer to that goal."
North America Tires - the global springboard for products such as
Aquatred, Eagle and Wrangler - also sees additional benefits in using
technological leadership to focus even more on expanding its markets.
Marco Molinari, vice president of sales and marketing for North America
Tires, said, "Like everything else in life, tires are only as good as the
foundation on which they are built. And with steel, that base now is like a
rock."
The consumer benefits in steel technology are significant, Molinari said,
given improved treadlife, a resistance to sidewall damage and responsive
handling.
Molinari said the ultra-tensile steel used in Goodyear tires is 40 percent
stronger than normal tensile steel. Steel belts in most passenger car tires
use a super- or high-tensile steel wire. A 16-inch tire contains 1,044
ultra-tensile steel wires in its carcass.
"It's noteworthy that Goodyear would reinvent the tire in its centennial
year," Molinari said. "In 1898, when the company was founded, tires were
reinforced with cotton. One hundred years later, we've broken from the pack
and differentiated Goodyear products from the competition through technology
that offers greatly improved performance attributes."
Goodyear pioneered the use of high-strength polyester cord as a tire
reinforcement in 1962. Other reinforcements used in tires have included rayon
in 1928, nylon in 1942, fiberglass in 1967 and aramid in 1972.
Bill Hopkins, director of tire technology for North America Tires, said
ultra-tensile steel technology reaps benefits that will impact tire science
for years to come. "The immediate impact comes in the form of the new Eagle
Aquasteel EMT and the Eagle F1 Steel. Down the road, however, the stability
of the ultra-tensile steel carcass will allow us to stretch the tread-design
and tire-compound envelope to improve tire performance even more," Hopkins
said.
The fine micro-alloy steel provides flexible wire with extremely high
strength and exceptional fatigue resistance, Hopkins said.
The ultra-tensile material also removes stress in the steel belt edges
within the tire and stabilizes the tread area. A more stable tire contact
patch on the roadway increases cornering power; the tire responds quicker to
steering inputs, Hopkins said.
In the Eagle Aquasteel EMT run-flat tire, the high strength and inherent
heat resistance of steel provides additional performance benefits, he said.
The steel resists tire bending, particularly if the tire loses inflation
pressure, providing greater margins of safety and convenience when driving at
extended distances on Goodyear run-flat tires.
SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
