Shattering Prevailing Truths

Mireval, France — Before 1491, people believed that the world is flat and that a ship would fall off the earth if it sailed towards the edge. Until 1901, it was generally acceptable to think that man was never meant to fly. In 1959, people said that computers will have no function in the home. These so-called "prevailing truths" were accepted as the Biblical truth during their time because the technology to prove otherwise was not available then. When the technology became available, these prevailing truths were shattered, and of course, now we know better.

In the tire industry, a prevailing truth exists that passenger car tires cannot be responsive, quiet and stylish at the same time. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company wanted to shatter this existing thinking with a tire that offers responsive performance, a quiet and comfortable ride while looking aggressive and stylish. Goodyear invited motoring journalists from China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines (including yours truly) to their facilities in Luxembourg and France, not only to introduce the Ducaro GA, but also to prove to its performance through actual track tests.

Old-School Thinking

Performance-oriented tires commonly have aggressive thread patterns that offer superior handling and water-channeling characteristics and stylish low-profile side walls that bring outstanding cornering capabilities. However, the thread patterns of these tires generate high levels of noise while the low side walls offer a stiff ride. These tires may likewise wear easily and prove less durable due to the softer rubber compounds used to offset reduced shock absorption of those stiff side walls.

On the other hand, tires designed for durability and high mileage are fitted with thread patterns that are more attuned to providing a comfortable ride and for generating minimum noise levels than for tackling corners aggressively. These tires may have longer lives than performance tires due to the different construction and harder rubber compounds while offering better shock absorption capabilities and improved comfort due to their taller side walls. Unfortunately, these tires may not be as capable in the corners and may look less attractive than performance tires.

It was thus thought that with existing manufacturing methods and available raw materials, there would always be a compromise when making a tire and that the choice was always an inherent combination of performance and appearance, or durability and comfort, but never a combination of responsiveness, civility and stylishness.

The Technology Behind The Tire

With the new Ducaro GA, Goodyear claims that they have engineered a tire that delivers responsive performance and administers a quiet, comfortable ride while looking ultra stylish at the same time. To prove their claim, Hugh Pace, the president of Goodyear Asia took us to the Goodyear Technology Center in Luxembourg (GTC*L), where they showed us the technology behind the concept, design and engineering and testing of the new tire. GTC*L senior engineer Agnes Verbeke-Ensch presented the brand’s exclusive and innovative Bubble-Blade II System, which they claim significantly increases traction while decreasing road noise. She added that the tire has unique thread elements that open at the point of contact with the road, which provide traction during acceleration or cornering. These thread patterns also close when not under pressure to reduce noise.

She also presented other features of the Ducaro GA including a computer-optimized tire cavity that increases tire-to-road contact for surer handling and comfort; a unique decoupling groove that balances footprint pressure for even wear, better mileage and less noise; a double sequencing thread that operates at individual rates to ensure quiet performance; radial shoulder blades that improve wet traction and optimize thread through an increased number of edges that create more friction for grip; transversal shoulder grooves to prevent aquaplaning on wet surfaces; continuous center ribs that improve steering response; and a four-rib design that optimizes thread contact with the road.

On the Test Track

To further cement their claim, Goodyear toured us around the test track at GTC*L where they conduct several tests to study and develop their tires. They also showed us a "footprint" that the Ducaro GA (mounted on a Mercedes-Benz C200 test vehicle) left as it rolled over their specialized photo and heat-measuring equipment at about 100kph. The computer-recorded image showed a tire footprint that is almost square, which proves that the Ducaro offers excellent grip, traction and stability while the heat build-up is distributed throughout the footprint which indicates that the tire has no hot spots and will wear evenly over time. This bolsters the company’s claim on the Ducaro’s durability.

They then took us to France where we were ushered into the Goodyear Proving Grounds in Mireval (GPG*M) a 400-hectare former race track that Goodyear acquired and refurbished for controlled track tests for their tire engineers and their automotive clientele as well. Greg Camarato, Goodyear Asia technical director gave us enough track time on the high-speed circuit, slalom course and on the wet-handling course to allow us to test the mettle of the new tire. A Ducaro GA-equipped Audi A4 showed us the tires’ capability in wet braking and aquaplaning while a similarly shod Volkswagen Golf attacked the slalom cones aggressively with positive steering response and excellent feedback. The tires were so good that I was even able to come close to the slalom time posted by the Goodyear test driver (11.6 seconds) by finishing the course in 12.2 seconds on my first try.

GPG*M also provided us with three similar Ford Focus test cars with one equipped with Ducaro GA tires while the other two were shod with tires of two competing brands (Brand M and Brand B). I was able to drive all three on the high-speed circuit and deliberately sped into corners to test the cornering grip of each brand. Brand M felt loose on the high-speed corners and didn’t offer much grip which resulted in an impromptu four-wheel drift that I caught with some difficulty. Brand B felt more controlled than M but the rear tires (which had less load on the front-drive Ford Focus) had a tendency to slide when driven 9/10ths around curves. The Ducaro GA didn’t exhibit any of these tendencies even when driven about 20kph faster in the corners. Grip was excellent that minimum steering correction or power application were all that were required when overdriving around corners.

Goodyear also gave us a ride in a rear-drive BMW 316tii and a front-drive Renault Megane around the wet-handling circuit. The circuit featured a controlled system which could cover the entire track with water from 8mm to 18mm, mimicking road conditions during rainy weather. The Ducaro GA performed flawlessly in the wet, offering excellent aquaplaning capabilities while giving the driver increased control in slippery situations.

All-In-One Tire And Trial Offer

After the track tests, the Ducaro GA impressed the Asian motoring journalists and proved that it was as Goodyear claimed: an "all-in-one" tire. Dave Morin and Eduardo Arguelles, ASEAN marketing director and advertising manager of Goodyear Asia respectively, pointed out that the company is so confident with the Ducaro GA that Goodyear offers a trial offer which ensures that a customer who isn’t completely satisfied with the purchase of a set of Ducaro GA tires within 14 days or 500 kilometers (whichever comes first) can exchange their set for a set of other Goodyear tire models.

C.A. Ong, the MD of Goodyear Philippines, echoed their claim that the Ducaro GA was engineered for the Asian market. In fact, he said that the introduction of the new tire was postponed because of the additional tire details they requested from the engineers at GTC*L. After the tire has been engineered to perfection under their patented Trinuum Technology, he stated that Ducaro GA is now available in the country through Servitek dealers and Goodyear retailers. Ong is also confident that it will shatter prevailing truths in our local tire industry.