According to information from Goodyear, the market for premium winter tyres is one of the fastest growing of the whole tyre industry. Only during the last ten years, the manufacturer has noticed a market increase of eight per cent. Moreover, a trend towards bigger rim diameters within this segment has been noticeable too. In the period from 2019 to 2024, sales of tyres as of 19 inches are expected to rise by about eight per cent.
As specialized tyre trade has more and more been focusing on this highly demanded business area, Goodyear will follow with a new winter tyre. According to company information, “a new technology package has been prepared that will turn the UltraGrip Performance+ SUV into a market leader”.
According to people responsible for the company, the new tyre will have a mileage improved by 13 per cent compared to the predecessor as well as better driving behaviour in wintry conditions. Furthermore, the product novelty will have braking distances reduced by two per cent.
Optimized technology combination
According to the manufacturer, a combination of different technologies is responsible for this. The Mileage-Plus Technology is for example supposed to provide the tread area with higher elasticity and thus reduce wear. The Winter-Grip Technology is meant to improve the performance of the product in low temperatures and thus grip on snow and ice. Finally, the use of the Traction-Protect Technology, which is based on the addition of a special resin, is to improve deforming and reverse forming ability of the tyre so that braking and drive power will faster be transformed into grip.
“The UltraGrip Performance+ SUV combines our winter technologies, which were crowned by test successes, with our know-how in tyre development for SUV, 4x4 and cross-over driver. Consumers will get access to a tyre that will convince even under most demanding winter conditions”, explains Laurent Colantonio, Regional Technology Director, Consumer Tires EMEA at Goodyear. First of all, the line-up of the winter novelty will consist of 33 SKU from 16 to 20 inches.
