New Goodyear Ice Tire is Out Of This World
8 December 1998
New Goodyear Ice Tire is Out Of This World AKRON, Ohio, Dec. 8 -- A new ice tire from Goodyear is no
alien to the tires that rolled across the dusty plains of the moon 27 years
ago.
Sharing silica technology with two 16-inch experimental lunar tires that
made the first tire tracks on the moon surface Feb. 5, 1971, Goodyear's Ultra
Grip Ice winter tire incorporates the latest filler and polymer chemistry to
tame the worst that Mother Nature has to offer.
While Goodyear's moon tire was reinforced with only silica, the Ultra Grip
Ice tire contains a carbon black in many of its components but utilizes silica
along with polymers that remain flexible at freezing for greater ice traction
than conventional rubber at very low temperatures, according to engineer J.O.
Hunt.
This extra pliability along with hundreds of interlocking fine-line sipes
in the treadface deliver the extra "bite" that eliminates the need for road-
damaging studs, Hunt said. This also enables the tread to stay in firm
contact with ice or hard-packed snow on roads, resulting in excellent traction
on ice and snow.
One caveat in developing lunar tires for the Apollo 14 mission was the
absence of carbon black to reinforce the compound. Carbon is often cited as
evidence of life in the universe. A tire reinforced with silica was the best
option to keep the moon environment untainted, according to Stanley Mezynski,
a Goodyear research and development associate who worked on the moon tire.
The Ultra Grip Ice winter tire is designed to combat icy roadways without
studs in the northern United States and Canada. In laboratories at Eglin Air
Force Base in Florida where temperatures reach -65 degrees F, Goodyear test
engineers put the new Ultra Grip Ice tire through its paces.
Similarly, the moon tires were tested at -85 degrees F to simulate the
ultra low temperatures of space, Mezynski said. Astronauts Alan Shepard and
Ed Mitchell pulled a two-wheeled rickshaw-like cart to collect lunar rock
samples. Each moon tire, inner tube and eight-inch aluminum wheel weighed
only 4.1 pounds.
The importance of technology in developing new tire compounds can't be
denied. "We're developing rubber compounds, which when combined with
optimized tread designs, literally grip the road, snow and ice -- that
actually act like tiny fingers that reach into pavement or ice crevices for
maximum adhesion," Hunt said.
Balance is the key in rubber compounding. It's sort of like making a
cake, in which each ingredient plays a role in the final product. Adding one
or two ingredients can enhance wet, dry and winter traction and provide
improved treadwear, Hunt said.
"Most customers want a winter tire that provides excellent ice and snow
traction, a comfortable ride, long wear and good value," he said. "Their
'wants' help us determine the right mix."
The Ultra Grip Ice offers the best balance for a winter tire. "Some
ice/snow tires use a pocked, or multi-cell, treadface for improved ice
traction," Hunt said. "Experience, however, tells us treadwear tends to be a
tradeoff when using these techniques.
"Motorists should get more than one winter season of use out of their
tires. In addition, many winter tires deliver poor traction after wear. The
Ultra Grip Ice tire is designed to deliver good traction for the life of the
tire."
After 33-1/2 hours on the moon with the Goodyear-equipped cart, Shepard
and Mitchell blasted off to dock with the orbiting command vehicle. The
rickshaw and the specially designed tires remain on the lunar surface.
Those marooned tires are a legacy to the Ultra Grip Ice tire, Mezynski
said. "Believe it or not, the moon tires helped us find better ways to drive
on ice and snow."
