Goodyear Has Designs On Changing Weather Patterns
7 August 1998
Goodyear Has Designs On Changing Weather Patterns AKRON, Ohio, Aug. 6 -- With El Nino-related weather
conditions forming in the Pacific Ocean, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
announced today that it would continue to focus on safety issues with its wet
traction aquachannel tires and revamp its winter tire lines.
The need for tires with improved wet traction might be growing if climate
research is correct. It rains more on the weekends along the Atlantic Coast,
according to a paper published in today's issue of Nature, when more people
are on the road.
In addition, America is getting more of its rainfall in heavy downpours
now than early in the century, according to a 1995 weather study also
published in Nature.
The ramification of these downpours and weekend rain for motorists can be
serious, according to Jean-Jacques Wiroth, brand marketing director for
Goodyear consumer tires. More puddles on the roadway make vehicles
susceptible to skidding.
El Nino gained worldwide attention this year with its changing weather
patterns. Now, its sister La Nina event is brewing in the Pacific, and U.S.
forecasts call for warmer than normal winter temperatures in the South and
cooler readings in the North.
"We plan to continue what we started with the Aquatred tire," Wiroth said.
"Its wet-traction capabilities gave motorists a new awareness for driving in
the rain. In addition, we gave our new line of run-flat tires dual
aquachannels for improved wet traction. Retaining our technological
advantage, future tires will combine new run-flat and ultra-tensile steel
technologies with aquachannnels."
With 14 million-plus Aquatreds sold worldwide since its introduction,
"Goodyear is recognized as the leader in wet traction. Consumer awareness for
automotive safety continues to grow, and we're experiencing it in increased
sales of our aquachannel tires as well as our run-flat versions," Wiroth said.
This fall, Goodyear's traction strategy will take a new twist with a new
line of winter tires, Wiroth said. La Nina, characterized by cooler than
normal sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, could produce
above-average rainfall or snowfall in the Northern U.S. and Canada,
forecasters say.
"Although the snow traction for all-season tires has improved, there's
still no substitute for the traction that winter tires offer," Wiroth said. A
winter tire provides about 25 percent better snow traction than an all-season
tire.
Wiroth said the U.S. winter tire market, which could double in size to
20 million tires, "presents a tremendous opportunity for Goodyear. We'll need
to 're-sensitize' the market to the advantages of winter tires and the
increased sophistication in winter tire technology. The need for winter
traction addresses the public's concerns about safety," he said.
In the wet traction arena, according to the 1995 study, computer
simulations of global warming predict increased rainfall in downpours. Since
1911, the fraction of total summertime rainfall that has come in heavy rain
has risen by 2 percent to 3 percent, researchers found. Heavy rainfall is
defined as more than 2 inches in a day.
The precipitation trend shows up throughout the year but is strongest in
the summer and is bounded roughly by Montana, Maine, North Carolina and Texas,
researchers said.
A heavy downpour or thunderstorm dumps water at the rate of two to four
inches per hour, building up a film of water up to 0.08 inch deep on the road.
Poor drainage leads to more accumulation, a prime concern for road engineers,
according to Sam Landers, chief engineer of passenger car tires.
In 0.08-inch water, a typical passenger tire traveling at 60 mph displaces
more than 60 gallons of water per minute from the tire's contact patch, the
hand-width of rubber that touches the road. In deeper water, the tread design
must evacuate even more water to resist skidding, Landers said.
A tire tread is designed to act as a squeegee, forcing water from the
road's surface into the tread grooves. If the amount of water on the road is
greater than the groove capacity, excess water builds up at the front of the
moving tire.
As water pressure mounts, the fluid acts as a wedge and literally lifts
the tire from the road, not unlike the bow of a speedboat being lifted off the
water on a lake. Goodyear's line of Aquatred and Aquasteel tire designs
actually facilitate the flow of water from the front to the rear of the tire
contact patch for improved traction on rain-slick roads, Landers said.
"Skidding on wet pavement is a potential driving dilemma year-round, but
it doesn't have to be," Landers said. "When it rains, slow down, drive
cautiously, steer and brake with a light touch and make sure you have good
treads on your tires."
A car's speed plays a major role in its wet-traction performance; skidding
can occur at speeds as low as 45 mph or less on curves. A smooth road
surface, low vehicle weight and low tire inflation pressures also contribute
to loss of traction, he said.
