Goodyear unveils new all-season, winter tires at dealer meeting

GRAPEVINE, Texas — Goodyear introduced two new products, expanded the size offering of another and touted the mileage performance of a fourth product during the company's annual dealer meetings, held Jan. 27-29 at the Gaylord Texan Resort.

The Akron-based tire maker:

• Released the Eagle Exhilarate, an ultra-high performance all-season tire;
• Released the WinterCommand, a mid-tier winter tire;
• Expanded the size range of the Wrangler Fortitude HT cargo van tire; and
• Announced the Endurance LHS long-haul steer tire is delivering strong mileage performance in fleet testing.

The Eagle Exhilarate replaces the Eagle F1 Asymmetric All-Season in the Eagle lineup and will be available in April, Goodyear said. Its potential fitments include the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, BMW 3-Series, Porsche Cayman, Dodge Challenger, Audi A6, Cadillac CTS, BMW 5-Series, Mazda 6, Porsche Cayenne, Mercedes E-Class and Lexus LC.

In development for three years, the new tire features a built-in wear gauge tool placed in eight locations around the tire, as well as a "high- performing" tread compound fortified with "traction resins" for enhanced handling and traction in wet, dry and snow condition. It will be offered in 36 W or Y speed-rated sizes.

The Eagle Exhilarate also has ActiveGrip, ActiveBraking and Active Strength Technology, which combine for a lightweight construction and help yield shorter braking distances on wet and dry surfaces and more precise steering and control, Goodyear officials said,

Goodyear's latest winter tire, the WinterCommand, is a studdable mid-tier winter tire available available in 54 sizes covering fitments on passenger cars, CUVs, SUVs and light trucks in Q, S or T speed ratings.

The WinterCommand features a proven winter tread compound, specialized winter tread patterns and full depth zig-zag sipes, features that allow it carry the three-peak mountain snowflake designation.

It will have three tread pattern variations, each designed for specific vehicle types for optimal performance.

"This is the start of a concentrated focus on enhancing Goodyear's winter portfolio," said Mike Dwyer, Goodyear's North America consumer chief customer officer. "As we look to revitalize our winter line, we are confident that the WinterCommand gives us a strong winter offering that will drive growth in a segment with enormous potential."

The WinterCommand, which will be available in March, grips well at low temperatures thanks to tread patterns that feature multiple biting edges designed for starting and stopping on snowy roads.

Meanwhile, Goodyear has expanded the portfolio of the Wrangler Fortitude HT, a long-lasting "rugged" light truck tire with sizes designed for the growing cargo van segment.

Initially launched in 2014, the Fortitude HT offers an optimized tread design, tough tread compound, full-depth sipes and wide circumferential grooves to help reduce road noise, provide uniform wear and improve tread life.

Goodyear is expanding the current line of 35 SUV/CUV and light truck sizes with three C-type sizes, including the popular 235/65R16C, and 10 heavy-duty LT sizes, for a total of 48 sizes. The size expansion will help dealers address a segment that has grown by more than 600,000 full-size cargo vans over the past two years, Goodyear said.

The Fortitude HT handles variable loads and maintains performance under stress, Goodyear said. Its optimized tread design, tough tread compound, full-depth sipes and wide circumferential grooves, helps reduce noise, provides uniform wear and helps provide excellent wet traction.

Some vehicle fitments for the Wrangler Fortitude HT are the Ford Transit, Ram ProMaster, Chevrolet Express, Mercedes Sprinter, Nissan NV3500, Ford F150/F250/F350 and Chevrolet Silverado 1500/2500/3500.

Finally, the Endurance LHS long-haul steer tire, which debuted in June, has given feet owners as much as 210,000 miles in original tread life, Goodyear claims.

According to Mahesh Kavaturu, Goodyear's director of technology, commercial tires, 13 fleets have evaluated the tire, logging more than 13 million combined miles. More than 200 fleets are running the product.

The Endurance LHS is SmartWay-verified and is a key part of Goodyear's Total Solution of trusted products, reliable services and fleet management tools.

The tires has a wear-resistant tread compound and is designed with a dual-layer tread with uniform stiffness for slow, even wear. Its rigid casing construction allows for a consistent footprint, Goodyear said, as well as low resistance.

The Endurance LHS is available in four sizes — 295/75R22.5; 11R22.5; 285/75R24.5; and 11R24.5 — in load ranges G and H.