 Goodyear Assurance TripleTred. Click image to enlarge |
Improvements to the way the tire is constructed and shaped as well as to the tread design and the compounds used in the three tread sections promise better traction in wet conditions and on ice, as well as lower rolling resistance. Naturally, the manufacturing details and compound formulas are proprietary, but essentially the centre “ice zone” has traction-enhancing particles and fibers made with volcanic sand and glass to help create an increased micro-texture that improves low-temperature and winter traction. The “wet zone” compound contains silica and specialized polymers while the sweeping tread pattern helps evacuate water from the tire. Large tread blocks along the outer edge of the tire help provide confident handling on dry roads.
Perhaps the most innovative development for the new TripleTred is a feature known as Evolving Traction Grooves. As the tire wears and initial tread blades become shallower, some of the thin blades open up to become wider grooves that help evacuate water from under the tread for enhanced wet traction. There are more than 100 Evolving Traction Grooves on each Assurance TripleTred All-Season tire. So the TripleTred shouldn’t give up its wet traction strength as the tire wears.
  Goodyear Assurance TripleTred. Click image to enlarge |
As part of the day’s activities at Goodyear’s test facility near its Akron, Ohio headquarters, we drove Toyota Camrys equipped with the new TripleTred and a competitor’s equivalent product. The course was intended to demonstrate dry handling, wet traction and the transition back to dry. The exercise involved driving through a tight, water soaked turn at 60 km/h followed by a short, but tight slalom course.
Entering the turn, cars equipped with either brand, would lose traction and begin to plough off course. If left to their own, the cars would continue off course, but by introducing a bit of braking at this point the cars could be brought back in line to leave the wet section and set up for the slalom. Cars equipped with the Assurance TripleTred All-Season tire responded more quickly to inputs from the driver than the competitor tire.
Similarly, the TripleTred’s ability to shed water quickly and the stiff outer tread blocks could be felt in the slalom, where Camrys equipped with the TripleTreds performed marginally better.
Goodyear Assurance TripleTred All-Season tires are intended for people who live in areas that experience rain or snow. Winter tires, with their soft rubber compounds and aggressive tread patterns are the best choice for areas of Canada that experience real winter (and even winter tires are designed to maximize traction in snow or on ice, but not both). But if you don’t often drive on slippery, ice covered or snow clogged roads or if your travels require a tire that can perform in a wide range of temperatures, then Goodyear’s Assurance TripleTred All-Season tire will have you covered for just about every day of the year.
The Goodyear Assurance TripleTred All-Season tire is available in 22 T- (maximum speed, 190 km/h), H- (210 km/h) and V- (240 km/h) speed rated sizes to fit most passenger vehicles.
