Spring tire guide: SUV/truck tires

Times are tough but tire manufacturers are doing their part to stimulate the economy. No fewer than 15 new tire models have been released in Canada this spring from the giants.

These are big investments: it takes millions and millions of dollars to engineer, make tooling and manufacture just one model, let alone 15.

But with the poor economy, tires should be a tough sell this year. Competition for sales supremacy – especially in the high-performance categories (the highest profit margin) – is ruthless and a company without a competitive tire in each segment will be blown out of the water.

As a result, there are new tires for everyone in every category. Heck, there's even a new category: tires designed to increase fuel economy.

Note: Because these tires are so new, manufacturers have yet to set prices for them.

SUV/TRUCK TIRES

It's probably the worst assignment in the world – to be a tire engineer charged with the task of designing a new SUV/light truck tire. No doubt there are as many bald tire engineers and there are bald tires because this category is so ill-defined – there is no correct path to follow.

Tire design ultimately depends on the end-user's driving habits. Does the owner of a given SUV drive it only on pavement, or mainly on a gravel road? Does the vehicle ever go off road? For a light truck owner, is the vehicle a fashion statement with an empty bed, a hotted up muscle truck or is it expected to carry a heavy load – and on what surfaces will it carry its burden?

As a result, tire companies have created sub-categories of SUV/LT tires. But the consumer must decide which niche is best. There's a tire for every SUV/LT, you just have to gauge your needs.

Toyo Proxes ST II High Performance

Although SUVs have fallen out of favour, there are still a lot of them out there. Most never leave pavement and they favour big shiny wheels. And they now have their own class of tire: the luxury, high speed rated SUV Sport Tire.

Toyo had a good hold of this segment with its Proxes ST, a tire suited to a multitude of driving conditions. Replacing it is the Proxes ST II, a tire that concerns itself with luxury as well as grip. Its unidirectional tread delivers a fresh design with advanced tread elements for a balance of style, handling and all-season performance.

Computer design technology results in a tire that is smooth and quiet with improved wear characteristics. Toyo's Silent Wall technology minimizes noise at highway speeds by using dense, perpendicular serrations located along the main groove walls. The serrations help disturb the air flow, which normally produces an audible sound known as "pipe resonance," a condition similar to wind blowing into a flute. The result: an exceptionally quiet ride. A more consistent wear is achieved by using multi-wave sipes that appear as the tire wears, interlocking with one-another to help decrease block movement.

Speed rating: V, W, Y

Sizes: 16-26-inch diameters

Goodyear Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar Off Road

When Goodyear's engineers set about redesigning the venerable Wrangler MT/R to take on tough terrain, they left no stone unturned or chemical compound unexplored.

The result is the company's first off-road tire built with the toughness of DuPont Kevlar for enhanced sidewall puncture resistance.

The use of Kevlar, an innovative material that is, pound-for-pound, five times stronger than steel, brings superb sidewall cut- and puncture-resistance to an area of the tire that demands extra toughness when driving off-road.

The Kevlar-reinforced sidewalls help increase sidewall puncture resistance by 35 per cent, compared to the original Wrangler MT/R, a tire known for its toughness.

However, sidewall toughness is not the only feature of the Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar. It also includes a "wraparound" tread for enhanced sidewall traction in deep mud, sand and rocks; an innovative asymmetric tread design that offers aggressive off-road traction while maintaining handling on the road; and advanced rubber silica in the tread for superb off-road and wet traction.

Speed rating: T, H

Sizes: 15-20-inch diameters

Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac

There are more than 115-million light trucks on North American roads. Many of these are put to work during the week and pull family duty on weekends. Goodyear's new Wrangler DuraTrac tire is meant for these vehicles.

The DuraTrac is packed with interesting features to enhance both off- and on-road performance. Goodyear's proprietary Tractive Groove Technology provides the DuraTrac with enhanced traction in deep mud and snow and the tire's combination of highly angled centre tread blocks and zig-zag microgrooves offers enhanced lateral stability and traction in rain and snow. DuraTrac tires bear the European Commission Noise Symbol right on the sidewall, which indicates they meet stringent European standards for pass-by noise.

Self-cleaning, stepped shoulder blocks and thousands of biting edges deliver enhanced off-road traction and handling as well as snow traction.

Speed rating: n/a

Sizes: 15-20-inch diameters

ALL-SEASON

All-season tires have become the whipping boy of auto writers everywhere – but they deserve more respect than that.

When first introduced to the market, they really were "no-season" tires.

The engineering was not far enough advanced to make their driving characteristics suitable for different seasons.

Now science is catching up to expectations. A winter tire still trumps an all-season in deep snow or ice, but some can handle moderate amounts of snow and cold.

And cold driving conditions in early spring and late fall can bring out the best in an all-season.

Those dark, shadowy portions of road where the pavement temperature drops 10 degrees can be better handled by all-seasons than a summer tire.

Of course, once the ambient temperatures drop below 7C, it's time for winter boots.

But for three seasons, the all-season tire can be a better choice than a summer tire for a moderate driver. All-seasons have a wider operating temperature range and that means more grip in the morning and evening.

All-seasons generally have better water drainage, so better wet grip. And they usually are a better ride because they do not have the stiff side walls of summer sport tires.

When used in correct conditions, all-seasons can be just the ticket to ride.

Yokohama AVID Touring S
The AVID Touring S is a reliable all-season tire that features good handling and treadwear.

It aims to control noise and provide good ride comfort for family cars and minivans.

It has two solid central ribs for better on-center feel and to minimize tread pattern noise.

The good ride is helped by side wall construction, which uses a tapered hard rubber insert, twice the height of conventional inserts, for better absorption of bumps and vibrations.

The tire's shoulders, usually another noise source, use extra sipes and variable tread block sizes for quiet driving. Water is handled by arced channels and circumferential grooves.

These tires should be able to handle light snow conditions.
Speed rating: S, T
Sizes: 14-17-inch diameters
UTQG rating: 620, A, B

BFGoodrich Advantage T/A H/V HP
BFGoodrich is expanding its T/A line of tires with the addition of this long-life summer speed-rated tire. It is aimed primarily at modest sedans that come OE with H- and V-rated tires and should come in at a much more competitive price point than its competition.

It is treadwear warranted for 100,000 kilometres, unusual for a tire in this class.

The tire is extensively siped and has three wide rain channels, so expect good things when the weather turns bad.
Speed rating: H, V
Sizes: 15-18-inch diameters
UTQG rating: 560, A, A

BFGoodrich g-Force Super Sport A/S
BFGoodrich knows how to get a grip.

Its g-Force family of tires are made for muscle machines and this all-season tire completes the family.

It's a unidirectional tire with two wide rain channels and lots of angled grooves. Water can get out whether running straight or around a corner.

The summer Sport tire was excellent in wet conditions but this should be better.

Big shoulder blocks promise good dry grip and the smaller centre blocks with lots of sipes will cut through slush.

The tire should be available by May.
Speed rating: H, V
Sizes: 14-18-inch diameters
UTQG rating: 460, A, A

FUEL ECONOMY

It's all about friction. Everything you love and everything you hate about tires, it's all about friction. When you want plenty of grip around a corner, friction at the pavement-rubber interface is your friend. When you want good fuel economy, rolling resistance, another name for friction, is your enemy.

Tire companies work hard to address this contradiction. It would be easy if driver comfort didn't matter. We could get an incredibly hard tire inflated to 100 psi and the side wall would not flex at all. Side wall flex is energy loss. Taking this to the extreme, a solid rubber tire with no air chamber, so no flex, could be very fuel efficient. But it would be like riding on concrete.

So a compromise is needed to increase the stiffness to create a little more grip but without increasing friction. Increasing tread grip falls on the shoulders of rubber compounding wizards. And – ta da! – these engineers have come up with a new class of tires:

Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max
The Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max offers a breakthrough in fuel efficiency combined with all-season driving confidence. Compared to the original Assurance tire, Assurance Fuel Max provides 27 per cent less rolling resistance, which is a 4 per cent improvement in highway fuel economy. Over the life of the tire this translates into a gas savings equivalent to about 4,200 kilometres.

The Assurance Fuel Max's Wet Tread Zone with Dual AquaChannel Grooves helps evacuate water away from the tread face for better wet traction. Zigzagging Micro Grooves and Centre Tread Notches help grip the road in rain or light snow. The Dry Zone, with strong shoulder blocks, enhance handling and grip on dry pavement.
Speed rating: n/a
Sizes: n/a
UTQG rating: n/a

Bridgestone Ecopia EP100
The Ecopia EP100 provides drivers with improved fuel economy without sacrificing wet handling performance. It incorporates Bridgestone's best low rolling resistance technology and is targeted at fuel efficient vehicles, including hybrids and electric vehicles.

"We know consumers are concerned about fuel economy and getting the most out of their tires," said Bridgestone's John Baratta. "The Bridgestone Ecopia EP100 is a natural fit for the consumer. This tire offers our lowest rolling resistance technology which improves fuel efficiency."

The Bridgestone Ecopia EP100 is the first aftermarket product in the Ecopia tire line for the North American market. The Ecopia EP100 is a summer replacement tire for the Mini Cooper, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, Nissan Versa and Toyota Corolla, among others.

The Ecopia EP100 incorporates Bridgestone's NanoPro Tech technology, which improves performance by controlling the interaction between polymers, filler materials and other rubber chemicals used in the manufacture of the tire.
Speed rating: H, V
Sizes: 14-16-inch diameters
UTQG rating: 400, A, B

Michelin HydroEdge Green X
Michelin unveiled the Energy Saver All-Season – a new energy-saving green tire – at the Detroit auto show this year. This tire will not debut in Canada until 2010 but until then there is the redesigned HydroEdge.

The HydroEdge has been a family sedan staple since 2003, making it Michelin's longest-lasting passenger tire line.

The HydroEdge is Michelin's premier passenger tire, offering a 140,000-kilometre limited warranty, modern aesthetics, and better wet braking than the competition.

The HydroEdge tire is the most fuel-efficient tire in the category thanks to EnergySaver construction. A silica-based compound and wide centre-groove design, along with MaxTouch Construction create a sure-grip tread, helping HydroEdge tires stop shorter in wet weather.

Rolling resistance has been decreased, making the HydroEdge more fuel-efficient than previous generations.

The HydroEdge tire joins a line of fuel-efficient passenger car and light-truck tires designed to equip a wide range of vehicles. Each is marked with Michelin's "Green X" symbol, which means the tire reduces fuel consumption, delivers exceptional mileage and features enhanced safety attributes.
Speed rating: T
Sizes: 14-18-inch diameters
UTQG rating: n/a

PERFORMANCE 

Toyo Proxes R1R
Toyo has upped its game with a new ultra performance tire intended for the street and weekend autocross. This tire – for sports coupes and sedans – is an extreme performance tire for the enthusiast who wants superior dry weather grip but needs to drive in the rain.

Looking very much like a hand-grooved racing slick, the Proxes R1R has a dynamic arrowhead tread pattern for excellent water drainage and wet performance. Its wide footprint delivers both ultimate handling and an aggressive appearance.

And the arrowhead tread pattern has long been a favourite to maximize water flow out from under the contact patch. Toyo's T-mode computer design technology mated a high-grip compound with an autocross-inspired casing.

A high steel side ply ensures rapid steering response while a spiral-wound cap ply contributes to high-speed stability.

The Proxes R1R includes a rim protector moulded into the sidewall to help protect expensive wheels from curb damage.

This tire is ideal for ultra-responsive street driving, autocross, drifting, high-performance driving schools and track days.
Speed rating: V, W
Sizes: 15-18-inch diameters
UTQG rating: 140, AA, A

Bridgestone Potenza RE-11
Race car drivers worldwide have relied on leading-edge technology in tires to carry them to victory. Now Bridgestone's proprietary Stealth technology – developed for Formula One rain tires – is available for street use in the Potenza RE-11. First launched in Japan, the RE-11 is creating considerable buzz among performance enthusiasts.

"The RE-11 offers consumers a product that will perform well both on the street and on the track," said Phil Pacsi, a Bridgestone marketing vice-president. "We took the best and made it better. In our testing, the new RE-11 offered faster lap times, less understeer and better grip than our RE-01R, which has been dominating the field in Sports Club Car of America (SCCA) Autocross events."

The RE-11 combines many technologies in one impressive package. Its unique new sidewall shape and radical new "stealth" block promotes higher tread stiffness while enhancing water evacuation. An asymmetric cavity shape offers improved handling and ride characteristics. Large outer tread blocks improve cornering while grooves around the tire's circumference channel water from the tire's footprint to decrease hydroplaning.
Speed rating: V, W
Sizes: 15-19-inch diameters
UTQG rating: 180, A, A

Continental ExtremeContact DW
In February, the ExtremeWinterContact snow tire made its debut. And now, Continental has introduced the next phase in this product line, rolling out the ExtremeContact DW – a tire that delivers serious performance in both dry and wet conditions.

The ExtremeContact DW provides improved performance with the aid of technologies from Continental unique to this brand. Chamfered edges on the tread blocks instead of the traditional squared off edges increase grip at the limits of performance and give a more gradual loss of grip.

Dynamic Temperature Distribution, Continental's name for a computer modeled carcass with better heat distribution, reduces distortion which in turn reduces friction losses. This then gives better lower rolling resistance and improved tread life.

All cornering grip is provided by a tire's outer shoulder, so this area is big solid blocks for maximum contact. And since going straight ahead requires very little contact, Continental uses a High Void to Tread Ratio with Enhanced Groove Curvature to get water out from under the centre of the contact patch.

The ExtremeContact DW also features performance indicators, visible letters built into the second rib of the tread which alert drivers to the tire's optimal performance levels. "D" indicates the tire is at optimum tread depth for dry conditions. "W" indicates the tire is at optimum tread depth for wet conditions. As the tire wears and the indicators disappear, the tire is no longer tuned for optimum performance in that particular road condition.
Speed rating: W, Y
Sizes: 16-21-inch diameters
UTQG rating: 340, AA, A

PERFORMANCE ALL-SEASON

Pirelli PZero All-Season
First, there was the PZero Nero summer tire, then the PZero Nero M+S (mud and snow) all-season – and now this, simply the Pzero Nero all-season.

Confusing names aside, the differences in all three tires become quickly apparent. The summer version of the tire is dedicated to the aftermarket extreme tuning consumer market. The M+S version is aimed at tuners who want tires that can run in poor weather conditions.

And the new all-season tire is aimed at auto manufacturers for original equipment (OE) use and the replacement tire market for high performance cars. This tire actually has a 75,000-kilometre mileage warranty.

Visually, it is differentiated by its solid centre rib and additional siping for bad weather grip. It has found a place in manufacturers' hearts.

It is OE on many models of Audis, Fords, Mazdas, Mercedes, VWs, Volvos and, most notably, the new Chevrolet Camaro.

The PZero Nero All-Season has an asymmetric all-season tread. The solid centre rib provides constant contact with the road, which translates into shorter braking distances. Four longitudinal and multiple lateral grooves provide water evacuation routes.

It will be available in 30 size options. Some sizes are also available in a Run Flat version.
Speed rating: H, V, W
Sizes: 17-19-inch diameters
UTQG rating: 400, AA, A

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus
This all-season tire is targetted at owners of the Ford Mustang GT, Chevrolet Corvette, BMW 3-Series, BMW 5-Series, BMW 6-Series, Lexus IS or Infiniti G35.

While these are classed as all-seasons, I still would not be driving my Corvette in a blizzard. A light snow perhaps, but really these are sports tires that allow drivers to have some grip late into the fall and in early spring.

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus tires offer Trifusion Compound, Michelin's name for using three compounds on the same tire. These are bonded together on the tread face for superior all-season performance. Michelin is the only tire manufacturer to offer this technology, a trickle down from its top of the line sports tire – the Pilot Sport PS2 – which has two compounds.

The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus combines all-weather performance and tread life for high-end performance vehicles. State-of-the-art directional tread patterns and a wet-weather silica compound combine for extreme wet-weather control. Michelin claims better test results for this tire than class leaders Bridgestone Potenza RE960 and Goodyear Eagle F1 All-Season tires.

The Pilot Sport A/S Plus is the first to make use of the enhanced Michelin MaxTouch Construction, a concept that delivers improved tread life without sacrificing performance.
Speed rating: W, Y
Sizes: 16-22-inch diameters
UTQG rating: 500, AA, A

Continental ExtremeContact DWS All-Season
Continental is breaking new ground in tire performance honesty – the ExtremeContact DWS features performance indicators to help drivers assess traction capabilities. In other words, it will tell you when it is unsuitable for snow.

These consumer-friendly letters are built into the second rib of the tread and are designed to alert drivers of the tire's optimal performance levels. "D" indicates the tire is at optimum tread depth for dry conditions, "W" indicates the tire is at optimum tread depth for wet conditions and "S" indicates the same for snow. When the indicators disappear, the tire is no longer tuned for optimum performance in that particular road condition.

"The ExtremeContact DWS is slated to outperform when it comes to dry and wet conditions in both handling and braking; tread life, snow traction, noise, ride comfort and fuel efficiency," said Joe Maher, of Continental tires.

The DWS has a solid outer shoulder for dry performance, the tread blocks have chamfered edges to aid in extreme cornering and help reduce road noise. The tires casing has been designed for reduced distortion for enhanced energy delivery, lower rolling resistance and improved tread life by analyzing tire temperatures. There are many sipes and edges on the blocks to provide snow traction.
Speed rating: W, Y
Sizes: 16-24-inch diameters
UTQG rating: 540, A, A

 

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