Over the past decade, the car market has become more fragmented with new segments appearing and then sub-segments within those segments. The premium luxury sector has started to sell SUVs while lower segments are trying to become more premium. And then there’s the gradual entry of electric vehicles that will accelerate during the next decade.
For tyremakers, this diverse landscape presents many new challenges in developing tyres. SUVs, for example, are not like what they were 30 years ago when they required tyres that were more for off-road use; today’s SUVs like the latest Aston Martin DBX are as quick as sportscars and driven on highways more than jungle tracks. The same can be said of tyres for pick-up trucks – many owners buy such vehicles for daily commutes rather than as workhorses, so comfort is more important than durability.
But one thing which has not gone out of fashion is high-performance tyres and while there are specific expectations of comfort, quality, safety and longevity, many motorists still want their tyres to deliver high performance in terms of grip and handling.
For Goodyear, with a long history of leadership in the industry, high-performance tyres are something that it knows all about. After all, Goodyear tyres were used in Formula 1 for over 30 years and the 361 wins – plus 25 drivers’ titles and 26 manufacturers’ titles – won by cars running on Goodyear tyres is something which can’t be beaten.
Although the company stopped being a tyre-supplier for Formula 1 after 1998, it has been active in motorsports, especially in North America. More recently, it announced a return to international motorsport by becoming involved in endurance racing.
In Malaysia, Goodyear has also been associated with motorsports and Goodyear Malaysia was among the local companies that gave strong support to the Batu Tiga Racing Circuit to help promote motorsports in the country. In more recent times, the company has helped promote drift events and also interacted with owners’ clubs as a way of engaging consumers and understanding their needs.
“Racing is in our DNA. Throughout the years, Goodyear has been involved in many races such as NASCAR, Le Mans and the British Touring Car Championship. Therefore, it is inevitable that we will once again align ourselves with high-speed motorsports. We continue to innovate to bring cutting-edge technology and differentiated features to our tyres. The most important aspect is that motorsports allows us to test our capabilities and push our limits so that we can eventually achieve excellent technology transfer and utilise development experience from the tracks to the road,“ said Alex Ng, MD of Goodyear Malaysia.
Expansion of the Eagle F1 family
To cater to those who want ultra high-performance (UHP) tyres, the company has been offering the Eagle F1 family which has found a strong following among enthusiasts. The family of tyres consists of the SuperSport RS, SuperSport R, SuperSport and is now joined by the new Asymmetric 5 and the Asymmetric 3 SUV. Besides the addition of the two new tyres, the company will also add one more new tyre during the second quarter of 2020.
The Eagle F1 SuperSport was developed for better grip and handling on the road. Within the innovative U-shaped compound, there are specialised ‘power zones‘ which create pockets of control for superior wet and dry handling.
The tyre also has a tread deformation protector which helps in maintaining its shape, allowing better footprint preservation for high-speed stability, especially during hard cornering. To increase grip during cornering, there is a closed outside pattern while a stiffer sidewall design improves handling and stability.
Wet grip vital
Malaysian motorists obviously have high expectations when it comes to wet grip since our roads are often drenched with water from heavy rainfall. With the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5, much attention has been given to giving the best braking performance on wet roads.
The specialised tread design and Impulse Control Compound Technology (which uses a highly refined silica compound), allow the tyre to endure the force of high-speed braking, shortening the braking distance. This compound also allows a patch extension through Goodyear’s ActiveBraking Technology, which allows the tyre to slightly expand when braking to create more grip using its walls.
But even in dry conditions, the tyre is said to excel in performance. Its Power Cushion Technology (stiff coupling of carcass and pattern) generates full transmission of power to the road. This is particularly important as many of today’s high-performance cars generate great amounts of torque from low speeds, putting a lot of demand on grip right from the moment the car takes off.
High performance for SUV tyres too
For SUVs, the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 SUV is designed to offer the important requirements for highway driving with the addition of extra strength for those occasions when driving off-road. In the past, SUV tyres were heavy and didn’t do fuel consumption any good but the Asymmetric 3 SUV has lower rolling resistance to reduce consumption. Its specialised Grip Booster compound increases the tyre’s stickiness with the road surface, allowing it to be comfortable while maintaining handling when travelling at higher speeds.
Goodyear makes return to global motorsport at Silverstone WEC opening round
Goodyear makes return to global motorsport at Silverstone WEC opening round
