As the performance tire segment grew, so did the tires. But as wide tires went from curiosity to commonplace, automakers and tiremakers created and sub-divided the segment to extremes. We went from expensive cosmetic performance radials to extremely expensive max-performance UHP rubber.
Today, high performance and UHP tires are more often than not required as replacements for similar OE tires, putting cost pressure firmly on the backs of unhappy drivers already grumbling about rising fuel prices.
Some tiremakers, including Goodyear, have recognized the problem and have begun offering products to reach the so-called “mid-tier performance segment” – H-, V- and W-rated fitments that deliver more-than-adequate on-road manners at more-than-reasonable price points.
In late May, Goodyear took the wraps off its latest mid-tier offering – the Eagle Sport All-Season. Announced first at its dealer conference in January, the newest Eagle replaces the Eagle GT going forward, and is OE tunable, Goodyear officials stated.
The new Eagle is now available to Goodyear retailers, with a full lineup of 47 V and W speed-rated sizes available by the end of 2013.
The tire is positioned just below the Eagle F1 Asymmetric All-Season – which launched last spring – and carries a 50,000-mile tread life limited warranty.
The formal launch event for U.S. and Canada media and select customers (including ATD, Sears, Tire Rack, Max Finkelstein Inc.) was held at Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving in Phoenix.
Through 2013, the tiremaker plans a series of tire dealer ride-n-drive events to support the product, and has set a consumer-oriented ad campaign – tagged “Own It.” The ad effort calls to mind “generations of Eagle performance tires” and Goodyear’s “history of innovation,” according to Tara Foote, Goodyear brand performance marketing manager.
“This tire applies innovative technology from our labs and design studios to continue the Goodyear Eagle high-performance leadership that helps you own the road,” she said. “A key attraction for this tire is its appeal to what some would consider ‘non-sports cars,’ thus offering the performance benefits of a Goodyear Eagle to drivers who want to maintain or upgrade the steering and handling characteristics of their vehicles.”
In short, Foote said, the target for the Eagle Sport All-Season is “drivers who enjoy driving,” drivers who “want to experience a “feel for the road.”
Foote said tire competes with “all mid-tier tires,” such as lines from BFGoodrich, Continental, General and others.
Goodyear said that the Eagle Sport All-Season is “designed for responsiveness, all-season traction, and outstanding wet and dry handling with performance drivers in mind.” The tire features a new silica-based tread compound, an asymmetric tread pattern with angled tread block edges, four circumferential grooves for water evacuation, and hundreds of full depth sipes for wet and snow traction.
Foote said the marketing team set the table for the tire, outlining an all-season product that delivered “excellent wet/dry traction, a smooth and quiet ride and an industry-leading treadwear warranty.” They then passed the ball to the engineers and designers to execute.
“Our engineers are using innovative technology to develop this new generation of products that take tire performance to a higher level,” said Bob Toth, Goodyear’s North American director of products and innovation. “The application of relevant technology allows these tires not only to gain credit as true innovations, but also to translate into the kind of driving performance benefits that consumers really want.”
Tim Lovell, technical project manager, explained the technical features of the result. The new Eagle Sport All-Season features an asymmetrical tread design with distinct inboard and outboard patterns. The outboard side carries 7% more rubber on the road versus the inboard side, which aids its ability to maintain its footprint on the road surface – even at light loads.
Siping in the silica-based tread comes in a varying pattern across the tread face, with more siping toward the center; most sipes are full-depth, Goodyear said, to maximize traction during the life of the tread. Angled tread block edges help provide responsive handling and grip while reducing road noise and promoting even wear.
This all adds up to “outstanding wet and dry performance with enhanced grip in ice and snow,” and “confident grip as the tire wears as a result of numerous full-depth tread sipes.”
Journalists and dealers tested the newest Eagle head-to-head against the Firestone Firehawk Wide Oval AS. The 18-inch tires on matching Audi A4s pulled laps on a wet/dry autocross track at the Bondurant facility. Later, the group did lead/follow hot laps in Cadillac CTSs on the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric All-Season.
“A tire is a product that can perform in all types of weather conditions, carry people to appointments, and enhance the performance of the vehicle on which it’s mounted,” said Toth. “Sometimes, drivers forget that the only four touch-points between the car and the road are the tires.”
Goodyear is certainly hoping the latest Eagle will better remind them of that fact.
