Goodyear Gas-Saver

As Canada copes with the biggest global recession in a generation and environmental issues like global warming, doing more with less is fast becoming standard operating procedure, at home and in the office. If you sell tires for a living, the value proposition is more important than ever as cash-strapped consumers are tempted by low-ball imports. Goodyear’s response to this dilemma is a new version of the firm’s high-volume mainstream passenger radial, the Assurance Fuel Max.

As the name implies, this tire is all about fuel mileage, which is really about reduced rolling resistance. Tires don’t in fact roll; they lay down a patch of rubber flat on the pavement then pick it up again, like the tracks on a bulldozer or backhoe. The process generates friction, and as the rubber flexes some energy is lost to heat, energy that comes from the fuel burned in the engine. This is why increasing tire pressures have a beneficial effect on fuel mileage. Unfortunately, higher pressures also degrade ride and handling, so the goal is to combine the best attributes in one tire.

Externally, the Fuel Max looks similar to the conventional Assurance product, but it’s the technology inside that drives the fuel savings. A key element is the tread compound, which replaces some of the traditional carbon black reinforcement with silica. Many premium tires use silica for additional wet grip and durability in a “soft” tread compound, but the key to using silica effectively is getting it to disperse properly in the tread rubber matrix. Goodyear uses a specially designed polymer in the tread rubber to achieve this without a silica loading that would compromise durability. The result is a “springier” tire that recovers more of the energy used to deform the tire as it touches the road. Engineers talk about “hysteresis,” but in more familiar percentage terms, Goodyear has reduced this rolling resistance by 27 per cent. Measured in the real world, Goodyear testing on a 2008 Honda Civic, mounting the common P195/65R15 size, produced an overall four per cent fuel savings, which calculates to 4,300 kilometers of “free” driving compared to the older design.

None of this technology is visible to the consumer of course, and Goodyear uses the tire’s sidewall to good advantage in promoting the Fuel Max technology. Externally, the tread pattern is divided into shoulder dry and centre wet zones, with the wet zone using technologies Goodyear calls Dual AquaChannel Grooves, Zig- Zagging Micro Grooves and Centre Tread Notches. On the tire wall, the look is conservative, appropriate for this market segment, but on the road, the tire’s performance is satisfying. Tire & Wheel Canada tested the new tire in combined city/highway driving on a late model Honda Accord and the dominant impressions were of a smooth ride and very low road noise. Traction and grip were on a par with the earlier Assurance products, which are competitive with premium touring tires from Michelin and Bridgestone.

Fuel saving is an excellent “hook” on the sales floor, and with an OE fitment on the upcoming Chevy Volt electric car, the tire should generate some excitement. The Assurance Fuel Max is currently available in 27 sizes to fit about 80 per cent of the auto tire segment.

This includes automobiles such as the Pontiac Grand Prix and Chevrolet Impala, minivans such as the Chrysler Town & Country, and not surprisingly, hybrids such as the Toyota Prius and Chevrolet Malibu.

Is the Assurance FuelMax the future of mass market tire design? Possibly, as other manufacturers use the drive for reduced greenhouse gas emissions to leverage new products. And saving money on gas never goes out of style.

SSGM