AKRON (June 27)—Goodyear´s popular "any condition" tire, the Assurance featuring TripleTred technology, won a Silver IDEA in the 2005 Industrial Design Excellence Awards, the Akron tire maker announced June 27.
The competition, co-sponsored by the Industrial Designers Society of America and BusinessWeek magazine, evaluates designs for five areas of excellence: innovation, aesthetics, user benefits, business impact and ecological responsibility. Products from companies such as Apple, Nike, BMW and Microsoft were awarded IDEAs in the competition, while Goodyear´s Assurance TripleTred was the only tire honored.
The Assurance was designed to be visually arresting, and its eye-catching sinuous and sculpted directional tread pattern is as attractive as it is functional, Goodyear said. The aggressive appearance also helps retailers explain the tire's benefits and technology to consumers.
The tire incorporates three unique tread zones for superior traction in any kind of weather: a unique Water Zone consisting of deeply carved "Aquachutes" to propel water away from the tire´s tread to assure more tire contact with the road when the surface is rain-drenched; an Ice Zone created by an interlocking tread pattern, which translates into more gripping power on icy or snow-covered roads; and a Dry Zone enhanced by reinforced tire shoulders for confident maneuvering around curves, potholes and unexpected road debris on dry pavement.
The Assurance also incorporates scientific advances in rubber compounding, including the use of fiberglass fibers and volcanic sand in the tire´s winter formulated compound, which allows the tire to maintain flexibility in cold weather.