Interesting article about tyre types,would like to hear your experience on tyres types as well..
TYRE TEST
The 77,000km++ tyre
Goodyear claims the Duraplus can last 100,000km without testing the whole distance. We see why they were so brave to say so.
By: WIWAT CHANG
Published: 19/06/2009 at 12:00 AM Newspaper section: MotoringThe latest offering from Goodyear is a passenger car tyre model called the Duraplus featuring a claimed tread life of 100,000km.
Goodyear did not exactly state that the Duraplus is an entry-level product. But when the press release states this model replaces the GT3 - known to be the most cost-effective range previously - it was up to motoring journos to interpret its market position.
But positioning is clearly not the issue, since virtually all car drivers in this country never expect a set of tyres to last 60,000km. So when the big number pops up, people instantly grasp the money-saving potential. The Duraplus is also aimed at fleet operators.
Goodyear was brave enough to buy three different models from three competing brands: Bridgestone B-250, Continental ComfortContact-1 and Dunlop SP65E for the media to compare against on open public roads.
The above rival tyres are all from what Goodyear described as the value segment. The Duraplus will be available very soon in the Thai market in rim sizes from 14 to 16 inches priced between B2,190 to B3,950.Duraplus is an entry-level product.
It's laudable to see Goodyear being able to rent more than 20 identical cars of the same model (Toyota Vios J grade with automatic and no ABS) and put half of them on the Duraplus and the rest on rival tyres.
A test route of about 200km long from Bangkok to Khao Yai via scenic Pa Sak was divided into several legs to allow for driver and car swap.
The only issue is, that with one-way route comprising varying road conditions, any differences in terms of noise, ride and handling between the two brands of tyres (the other one was Bridgestone) could not be felt.
Well, the Goodyear engineers say that, according to their findings, their tyre is superior to the other three on these accounts: treadwear, roll resistance and interior noise.
Goodyear says Thailand is an important base not just for manufacturing but for research and development. Their tyre test operations clock up more than two million kilometres on Thai public roads per year.
Goodyear's typical test team consists of three identical cars driven in a group on the same route 24 hours a day with three shifts of drivers who rotate among the cars on a regular basis.
For the Duraplus model, the test team enlarges to allow three of its main competitors to undergo the exact same test procedure that lasted 77,000km.
All the tyres are said to receive tread depth measurements from new at regular intervals until the test programme ends.
Each tyre is measured on 25 different points - five points across the width of the tread and on five lines of equal distances along the circumference - using an electronic depth gauge. A tyre is considered to reach the end of its useful life when the industry standard minimal tread depth of 1.6mm is reached.
So, even without running the tyres to wear down to the legal limit, which would really take a long time, the tyre maker can extrapolate its useful life based on wear rate throughout the duration of the test programme. The Bridgestone B250 tyre was projected to last up to around 85,000km, while the Duraplus a much longer 145,000km.
Head of Goodyear Thailand and Asean, Richard Flemming, made one point clear the night of the test drive in Khao Yai: "Other tyre manufacturers will, in the future, claim their tyres can last 100,000km or more. But remember that we are the first [to say so]."
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