GM Accessories Expands Wheel And TPC Tire Systems Product Lineup
DETROIT - Stylish and safe. The optimum blend of performance, looks and engineering. And now, more choices than ever. GM Accessories announces a broadened portfolio of plus-size 20-inch wheel and Tire Performance Criteria (TPC) tire systems, with five new designs developed specifically for GM's popular full-size utilities: Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe and Avalanche; GMC Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade. Additionally, GM will now offer new wheel designs for its car and truck lineup, including Chevrolet Corvette, Impala SS, Equinox and TrailBlazer; Pontiac G6 and Grand Prix; Cadillac CTS-V; GMC Envoy XUV; and Buick LaCrosse and Rainier. By year-end, more than 30 accessory wheel and TPC tire systems will be offered by GM dealerships.
"Tires and wheels are not an afterthought when it comes to the style, safety and performance of a vehicle," said Robert A. (Bob) Lutz, GM vice chairman of product development and chairman of GM North America. "They are integral components of the vehicle affecting everything from the aesthetics, to ride and handling, to safety. Our wheel and TPC tire systems were designed with these considerations in mind."
GM's rigorous
validation requirements
These new systems are designed,
engineered, tested and validated with the same thoughtful,
thorough processes and body of engineering and test data used
in the development of the production wheels and TPC tires on
vehicles engineered by GM North America.
"The GM Accessories team leverages the expertise and resources from the production Tire-Wheel Systems team during development and validation of accessory wheels," said Nancy Philippart, executive director - GM Accessories.
Plus-sized wheels may change some of the performance characteristics of a vehicle. However, by employing the same philosophy and applying many of the same tests used in developing General Motors' original equipment wheels and TPC tires, GM Accessories wheel and TPC tire systems meet or exceed federal safety standards as well as GM safety goals for the vehicle.
"With GM Accessories products, our customers are getting a known quantity, backed by extensive engineering, testing and verification that the wheel and TPC tire system they're purchasing will deliver performance and handling within the vehicle's defined characteristics," Philippart said.
The wheel and TPC tire systems produced for GM's full-size pickups and utilities are good examples of this extensive development, testing and validation process.
"We use the same parameters as the group that engineered the trucks - the same mass, same offset, same width, same mounting flange design, same tire pressure monitoring sensor requirements, same brake clearance, same dimensional tolerances," said Todd Brechtelsbauer, GM Engineering Group manager, Powertrain and Chassis Accessories.
"Those critical elements were carried over to our accessory program," Brechtelsbauer said. "Once we had the wheel designed, we ran through the finite element analysis (FEA) - a mathematical model that can help point out where your stresses are going to be and determine the problematic areas in the wheel design. We go through all of that data to ensure that we have an optimal design. The wheel is then validated using the same type of tests that Tire-Wheel Systems runs every time they do a wheel, like Fatigue and Corrosion Testing. We follow the same process."
The development process doesn't end there. Brechtelsbauer's group taps into the body of engineering data drawn from GM's Tire Performance Criteria (TPC) specification system to hand-select the tires that are matched up to the accessory plus-sized wheels. By specifying both parts of the system - the plus-sized wheel and the tire that's specially selected and validated to go with it - GM can assure that vehicles equipped with a GM Accessories wheel and TPC tire system designed for them continue to meet or exceed federal safety standards and GM's own safety and performance goals. TPC is an industry-leading methodology employed by General Motors to develop tires as an integrated part of the vehicle they're intended for, to provide specified tire performance, handling and durability characteristics under a variety of load and driving conditions.
The new tire and wheel combination is put through its paces "to make sure the vehicle operates as expected with the 20-inch wheels and TPC tires," Brechtelsbauer said. Those tests include straight-line vibration, quick lane changes, driving the trucks over potholes and bumpy roads and driving on different traction conditions such as ice and snow, looking for issues such as wheel kick and ensuring the vehicle responds as expected to the various inputs.
"When there is a question whether a new wheel and TPC tire combination may cause non-compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), GM will run tests - even crash tests - to assure that the vehicle will continue to comply," Brechtelsbauer said.
Crash testing led to a redesigned and revalidated knee bolster bracket under the steering column for select full-size pickup trucks. "When a customer purchases a GM Accessory wheel and TPC tire system for his 2004 pickup, the dealership is instructed to retrofit the vehicle with the knee bolster brackets so that the vehicle can continue to meet federal crash requirements," Brechtelsbauer said.
The Powertrain and Chassis Accessories group also validated brakes and chassis controls. The team designed the 20-inch wheel in conjunction with a GM TPC-approved 20-inch tire to minimize the impact on the brake and chassis control system performance, helping them to maintain compliance with FMVSS requirements.
Modifications to accommodate the plus-size wheel and TPC tire systems are made at the point of sale by trained GM dealership technicians. Dealerships are instructed to recalibrate the speedometer and the ABS system, and install a new jounce bumper on two-wheel drive models. Technicians also install the knee bolster bracket, if necessary, to meet crash test requirements.
GM's plus-sized tire-wheel system development process provides a portfolio of accessory wheel and TPC tire combinations with an optimum blend of style, safety and performance that offers consumers the best fit for their GM vehicles.
"We take this process very seriously. Our goal is to produce tire and wheel systems that work in harmony with the specific vehicle for which they were designed," Philippart said. "Our customers deserve the best engineered and validated wheel and tire system on the market, and that's what we try to deliver."
GM Accessories Wheel and TPC Tire System Portfolio Expansion
Third Quarter, 2004
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Fourth Quarter, 2004
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Fully guaranteed
In addition to performance, quality and safety, customers can benefit from the full promise of GM's new vehicle limited warranty. GM accessories installed on a new GM vehicle at the time of delivery will be covered under the GM New Vehicle Limited Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty. GM accessories installed by a GM dealer after vehicle purchase are covered for the balance of the new vehicle warranty, and no less than 12 months or 12,000 miles.
Meeting consumer demands
Wheels are the fastest growing segment in the accessories business. The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) estimates annually that $3.23 billion worth of custom wheels are sold at retail. With its expanded portfolio, GM now offers the greatest variety of durable, high performing, tested and validated wheels tailored to its product lineup. Consumers can enjoy one-stop shopping convenience by purchasing and financing their new accessory wheels from any GM dealership.
GM Accessories and GM Performance Parts are sold by Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, Cadillac, GMC and HUMMER dealerships. For more information visit www.goodwrench.com.
General Motors , the world's largest vehicle manufacturer, designs, builds, and markets cars and trucks worldwide, and has been the global automotive sales leader since 1931. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.
