WhenGoodyear launched its 100,000-km tyre – the DuraPlus – there wereskeptics among consumers and understandably so. 100,000 kms representsabout 4 - 5 years of motoring for many people and the idea of a tyrebeing able to last that long was a bit hard to accept. Furthermore, theDuraPlus is not one of the expensive specialized tyres with an exoticcompound that was specially developed for long life; it is actually anaffordably-priced tyre intended for what Goodyear refers to as the'value segment’.
Prior to launch, enough testing by their ownengineers had given confidence to Richard Fleming, Goodyear’s ASEANManaging Director, to boldly make the claim. Not only had the tyresbeen tested in Goodyear’s own facilities but also on Asian roads sothere was no uncertainty about the capability to go 100,000 kms. Ofcourse, that figure depends very much on various factors such as propercare of the tyres (alignment, balancing, pressure) and also drivingconditions. Goodyear is confident that most motorists will get theclaimed mileage but as Mr Fleming said, it is a 'claim’ and not a'guarantee’.
 | | The Toyota Vios testcars were driven for 7 weeks, 24 hours a day, on a specific route in Thailand | [tr] [/tr]
Anyway,to demonstrate their confidence further, Goodyear ASEAN ran an'DuraPlus Endurance Challenge’ which began with the launch of the tyrein Thailand and which ASEAN media was invited to start off. This writerwas among the media to contribute the first few hundred kms of wear forthe challenge which lasted 7 weeks.
The tyres were fitted on a Toyota Vios model (1.5J version with asize of 185/65R14) obtained from a car rental company and the fleetconsisted of four similar cars. The other three cars were fitted withtyres of competitors to make comparisons. The procedures were strictand aimed at eliminating variations due to different cars so the tyreswere rotated among the cars. Test drivers drove for 24 hours, 6 days aweek, three shifts per day, and travelled in a convoy to ensuremaximum consistency – in terms of the route, road and weatherconditions on a specific course in Thailand.
Goodyear’s TestingDivision was tasked to measure the tread depth and estimated tread wearfor each tyre on a weekly basis throughout the duration of the test. Atthe start of the event, journalists had done the measuring using thesame highly sensitive equipment. |  | Goodyear ASEAN MD Richard Fleming with the DuraPlus tyres which successfully went the distance in the challenge | Measuring the tread wear | [tr][/tr]
After7 weeks of driving, the cars reached their final measurement point at50,000 kms. Projections were then taken based on the potential mileageof the car. Running the tyres up to 50,000 kms was deemed morepractical and a Goodyear engineer explained that the wear rate fromthat point would be fairly consistent based on the decades of testingdone by Goodyear’s R&D department.
After hitting the 50,000-km mark, the DuraPlus tyres showed 34%wear, compared to the other three competitors’ tyres which were alreadyworn out by over 50%. “Based on these results, we are very confidentthat the DuraPlus can outperform its competitors and go beyond 100,000kms,” said Mr Fleming.Somemay ask whether it is a good idea to keep a tyre for more than 3 yearsas there is concern about the rubber hardening after such a long time.Goodyear’s engineers say that the compound should not deteriorate andwill remain good for use for a long period. However, for those who dofeel it’s not a good idea, look at it another way then: after 2 yearsof use, a DuraPlus would have more rubber than other tyres and theextra rubber means that the drainage channels would be deeper than theother tyres. This in turn means that wet grip should be better as thedrainage channels will be able to evacuate more water. Ultimately, thatmeans an extra measure of safety for the motorist. Responseto the DuraPlus has been very good in the ASEAN region and in Malaysia,the strong demand has created a pleasant challenge for GoodyearMalaysia, according to the company’s Managing Director, Nasution AbdulRahman. “In the current economy, consumers are looking to stretch theirringgit further, and are always on the lookout for exceptional valueespecially amongst drivers of smaller passenger vehicles. GoodyearDuraPlus caters to this need, since it provides longer tread life andexceptional mileage.”
To read more about the Goodyear DuraPlus, click here |
发表于 30-1-2010 10:22 PM
Asymmetric tread 
Closed outside shoulder elements 
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