Goodyear adds Fuel Max tire for regional fleets

ORLANDO, Fla.—The 2017 Goodyear Customer Conference was the launching pad for the Fuel Max RSA, a commercial truck tire designed specifically to provide excellent fuel economy for regional/long haul driving.

The Fuel Max also offers excellent traction, long life and enhanced toughness for multi-stop driving in urban environments, Goodyear said, adding it represents a substantial advance over its predecessor, the G661 HSA.

"The Fuel Max RSA is for fleets that want greater fuel efficiency on a regional basis with a SmartWay-compliant tire," said Brian Buckham, Goodyear general manager, product marketing.

The customers Goodyear is targeting with the FuelMax, Buckham said, are regional/long haul fleets that operate mainly on highways but also experience some urban driving to make deliveries.

"A driver that goes from Columbus to Indianapolis, and stops in Dayton on the way, would be the perfect customer for the Fuel Max RSA," he said.

Goodyear's Fuel Max Technology contains cool-running compounds, as well as special tire construction and tread designs, to lower rolling resistance and improve fuel economy, the company said.

Other features of the tire include:

• Goodyear's IntelliMax Rib Technology, with contoured sipes for ideal tread stiffness which allow for regular wear, high mileage potential and enhanced snow and ice grip;
• A tri-layer compound for exceptional mileage, rolling resistance and curb impact resistance;
• A non-evolving tread to help maintain traction through the tire's life cycle;
• Super-tensile steel belts to add stability and enhance toughness;
• Goodyear steel casing construction for optimal retreadability; and
• A computer-optimized tread design and footprint designed to give the tire more miles before removal.

The Fuel Max RSA is designed to give regional/long haul fleets a complete package of improvements, according to Buckham.

"We never try to improve just one thing," he said.