Customers ordering vehicles from the brand-new Renault Kerax construction range launched at the IAA Truck Show in Hanover will have the choice of Goodyear Omnitrac mixed-service tyres featuring Duraseal technology. According to Goodyear, this means less downtime and reduced tyre costs.
The Omnitrac MSS steer tyres and Omnitrac MSD drive tyres featuring Duraseal technology are available in size 13R22.5. These mixed-service tyres are specifically designed for use on vehicles operating in the construction, quarrying and waste management industries where punctures are a regular and expensive occurrence. In these conditions, road surface characteristics are more aggressive, requiring completely different grip characteristics from tyres in regular road usage and where punctures can be a frequent occurrence.
Compared with other Goodyear truck tyres, Omnitrac tyres feature tougher construction to reduce damage, and treads with minimum stone retention with excellent grip on slippery and loose services. According to the company, one of these features is Goodyear ECD (Enhanced Carcass Durability) technology, which comprises: a corrosion-resistant top layer to protect the high-strength steel belts and block moisture ingress as well as reinforcement and impact-resistant features to further protect against off-road hazards.
Duraseal technology, which is a unique Goodyear-patented feature, stops air escaping if an object of up to 6 millimetres diameter penetrates the tread, thanks to a built-in sealant. The customer benefits are that it can eliminate costly vehicle downtime and reduce the risk of having to replace tyres due to them being driven under-inflated.
Quite simply, the tyre is built with an extra ‘belt’ in its tread package. This is made of a special yellow gel-like rubber compound which, when an object such as a nail penetrates it, flows into the puncture and creates an air-tight seal. It can seal up to a 6-mm tread puncture and it can do it again without the tyre needing to be repaired or the sealant needing to be re-applied. If the object that caused the puncture is removed, the sealant flows into the void. Duraseal technology allows drivers to continue driving after the tread is punctured and allows the tyre to remain in service until it is retreaded. At a recent demonstration, a Goodyear mixed-service truck tyre with Duraseal technology sustained 51 punctures without a loss of inflation.
Goodyear reassures customers that the Duraseal technology does not affect the retreadability of a tyre. It is solvent-free and non-flammable, so it eliminates the threat of chamber fires during the retreading process and it doesn’t need to be removed when a worn tyre finally needs to be retreaded.
Goodyear says it is currently studying the market to identify further tyre types and sizes that Duraseal technology would benefit.
