Goodyear Focuses on Wet Traction With New SUV Tire

AKRON, Ohio, Feb. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Recognizing that North American motorists are very concerned with driving on rain-slicked roads, the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: GT) has announced the Assurance cs TripleTred All-Season, a premium tire for SUVs and CUVs, featuring three unique tread zones for powerful all-season traction. The new tire is now available in 14 sizes, with eight additional sizes available later this year.

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"Drivers everywhere are demanding true all-season traction. This tire has enhanced wet traction, maintains strong winter traction for cooler climates, and is an excellent replacement choice for those who drive SUVs and CUVs," said Gary Medalis, Goodyear brand general manager. "It is another example of the type of products Goodyear offers that help provide superior performance with its three unique tread zones."

The cs TripleTred All-Season's three tread zones work to help deliver traction for drivers. This includes:

• A Water Zone with a sweeping tread pattern that helps evacuate water from the tread for enhanced wet traction.
• A Dry Zone with large tread blocks along the outer edge of the tire to help provide confident handling on dry roads.
• An Ice Zone with numerous biting edges to offer gripping power on icy and slick roads.

Goodyear's tread design geometry -- with its innovative arrow-shaped pattern, and proprietary Wet Zone compound -- containing silica and specialized polymers, combine to offer enhanced wet traction for rainy climates.

In the Ice Zone, Goodyear engineers also utilized an innovative polymer composition. Traction-enhancing particles and fibers made with volcanic sand and glass help create an increased micro-texture that offers enhanced low-temperature traction and overall winter traction.

Another differentiation for the new Assurance TripleTred All-Season is a feature known as Evolving Traction Grooves. This design element helps to maintain confident traction in rain and snow as the tire wears.

As the tire wears and initial tread blades become more shallow, some of the thin blades open up to become wider grooves that help evacuate water from under the tread for enhanced wet traction. There are more than 100 Evolving Traction Grooves on each Assurance TripleTred All-Season tire.

The new cs TripleTred All-Season carries a 65,000-mile tread life limited warranty. It also has Goodyear's 30-Day Pledge, which offers buyers 100% satisfaction or they can exchange the tires for a different set of Goodyear tires.

Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies.  It employs approximately 73,000 people and manufactures its products in 54 facilities in 22 countries around the world.  Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry.  For more information about Goodyear or its products, go to www.goodyear.com.

SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company