Goodyear DuraPlus Endurance Challenge

Posted on June 10, 2009 12:00 AM

To prove that the new Goodyear DuraPlus tyre can do 100,000 kms, the company is running the Goodyear DuraPlus Endurance Challenge over 7 weeks on the roads of Thailand. The event began last Thursday in Bangkok and involves a fleet of cars which will be driven 24 hours a day. The cars, all Toyota Vios, have DuraPlus tyres supplied by the Goodyear factory in Malaysia (which makes the size for the Vios) and some are also running on tyres from leading brands available in the region for comparison.

To ensure maximum consistency throughout the event, there is full rotation of tyre sets between the cars and also drivers and of course, the route (which consists of various types of surfaces and conditions) will be the same. The whole fleet will travel in a convoy so that all running conditions (temperature, humidity, etc) are identical. Measurements on every tyre will be taken every 5,000 – 8,000 kms at 25 points.

After 7 weeks, the mileage which is expected to be clocked will be 50,000 kms and from all the measurements, projections will be made on the potential mileage of the tyre. The projections are based on the wear rate of each millimetre of tread and with decades of experience in such exercises, Goodyear engineers are confident that results will be accurate.


Measurements are taken from 25 data points on each tyre	Real-world driving conditions include rainy weather

The Endurance Challenge test fleet will be running 24 hours a day for 7 weeks

“Although there are external factors which can affect tyre wear, the wear is actually very consistent throughout the life of the tyre, we have found, so we can safely project what sort of mileage will be possible from the DuraPlus,” said Jenner Powell, Goodyear’s Commercialization Director for the Asia-Pacific region. He revealed that in laboratory testing where tyres are run non-stop on a rolling road, the mileage achieved went up to 130,000 kms but that’s in a very controlled environment which does not exist in real-world motoring. That’s why it is necessary for the engineers to do extensive real-world testing so that the tyres are subjected to actual conditions of usage.

The DuraPlus Challenge began at the Goodyear factory in Thailand and members of the ASEAN media drove the fleet of cars to a resort 218 kms to the northeast. The roads ranged from highway to country roads with all sorts of surfaces. The primary fleet consisted of eight cars and some cars had tyres of other brands on them so that it was possible for immediate comparison along the way.

The first impression which I had when taking the wheel was that the tyre felt rather stiff. The ride was not harsh, which is what a hard tyre compound would give but the feel was that of a tyre which seemed to have a high inflation pressure. However, the surprising thing was that it was not uncomfortable which is what you would expect of a tyre that is hard. The stiffness, according to Mr Jenner, is important for handling.

What did impress was the noise level of the DuraPlus – noticeably low on the concrete highway surfaces. Those who drive along the North-South Highway in Malaysia will know that certain stretches which are not tarred cause tyre noise to increase and with some tyres, it can be very loud. The DuraPlus didn’t generate noise levels that would be considered loud which is an achievement for such a tyre.

The stiffness of the tyre does sacrifice a bit of comfort but comfort is something which the Goodyear surveys found was not a high priority to customers in this segment. The difference in comfort was noticeable when I got into another car which had tyres from another brand and it felt nicer. Interestingly this tyre had more tread rubber than the others (including the DuraPlus) but in spite of having more rubber, when measurements were taken, it wore out more than the DuraPlus. So it’s a case of tread life or comfort and in the case of that tyre, the manufacturer must have been banking on comfort being of more importance to its customers than long life.

After the drive, a series of tests provided comparisons of the DuraPlus to other tyres in a few areas. Media members were invited to personally witness and verify all the results and in all tests, the DuraPlus came out tops.

The first test was braking from 80 km/h on a public road and it was very clear the Goodyear tyre had a shorter stopping distance. Then came the noise test and for this, tyres which had done 77,000 kms were used (these were from earlier testing). The noise level inside the car was measured and the DuraPlus was found to be several decibels lower. Finally, there was a very simple test which showed that the DuraPlus tyre has lower rolling resistance. This merely required rolling the car down a slope till it stopped and when compared to a competitor’s tyre, the DuraPlus could go at least 10% further.


A journalist watching where the car stops during the rolling resistance test	Slalom test to show the sharp handling

There was no opportunity to really test handling differences but a slalom was set up so that the steering precision with the asymmetric pattern and grip levels could be experienced. I can’t say much about this particular test telling me anything about the tyre other than it helped me clock the second fastest time among all the ASEAN media (the fastest time was set by another Malaysian) ! I am of the view that customers who buy this sort of tyre won’t demand terrific handling from their tyres but then again, there are Kancil owners who are 'fast and furious’ too.

So how convinced am I that this Goodyear tyre will last 100,000 kms? All the technical explanations are acceptable and I am sure that Goodyear would not make a claim that cannot be met. That’s where brand reputation counts and a company whose brand is regarded as 'Most Trusted’ would not want to do anything that ever causes people to lose that trust. Some motorists may get less and some may even get more because of the many variables but what’s important is that Goodyear is the first to break the 100,000 km barrier, an achievement which Richard Fleming, the Goodyear ASEAN head, highlighted many times.

2009 > Product News