Nov 2011: Goodyear Introduces Next Generation Marathon + Tyres

Goodyear tyres has launched the next generation of tyres in its Marathon range, with reduced rolling resistance. As per company officials, the lower rolling resistance will cause an associated reduction in overall vehicle operating costs.

LHD II+ and LHS II+ Tyres

Goodyear’s Marathon range of tyres is manufactured exclusively for commercial vehicle like trucks and trailers and other vehicles in the long haulage sector.

These include the Marathon LHD and LHS tyres. The new LHD II+ and the LHS II+ offer 7% lower rolling resistance than their predecessors. Both are long haul steer and drive axle tyres and offer the lowest rolling resistance across the entire Goodyear range.

Significance of Rolling Resistance

Rolling resistance is the friction or drag caused when the tyre rolls on a flat surface. Considerable energy is necessary to overcome this resistance and this compromises the fuel efficiency.

As much as 5- 15% of fuel consumed by vehicles is to overcome the rolling resistance. And fuel costs contribute to almost 34.9% of vehicle operating costs. T

hus it is simple mathematics that any action that reduces rolling resistance will reduce operating costs by enhancing fuel efficiency.

This is motivation for Goodyear to carry out research and come up with the technology that has achieved the low rolling resistance. Of course, the company has made sure that there is no compromise on mileage and wet grip properties while reducing the rolling resistance in the LHDII+ and LHS II+.

Technology Behind the LHDII + and the LHS II +

LHDII+ and the LHS II+ tyres incorporate a new tread compound called Silefex. Silefex is the product of innovation and research that has emerged from the Goodyear Innovation Center at Luxembourg.

Silefex contains an optimal combination of premium natural rubber and silica fibres.

Benefit of the + Range

Goodyear is confident that using the new LHD II+ and LHS II+ tyres will result in a one percent reduction in fuel consumption.

One percent, as such, may not look too impressive. But when you consider the annual distance covered by the vehicles and the rising fuel costs, it translates into a considerable saving per vehicle per year.

And organisations which run fleets can look at a significant reduction in the overall operating costs.

Testing the Marathon + Range

In August – September 2011, the LHDII+ and LHSII+ tyres were compared with three main competitors in the same category to determine the rolling resistance.

The test was carried out by independent technical services company TUV SuD. The tyres tested included steer and drive axle fitments as well as the trailer axle.

In order to determine the rolling resistance ratio, a load distribution of 17%, 25% and 58% was applied on the steer, drive and trailer axles respectively.

The Marathon + range received an extremely encouraging feedback on its rolling resistance parameters, which confirm that the Goodyear LHS II+ and LHDII+ tyres offer the lowest resistance in this range of tyres in the market. In the same test, the Goodyear Marathon + range scored better than competitors in the areas of wet grip and wet braking performance.

The tyres have been tested on Mercedes-Benz trucks over period of 18 months in long haul sector and the Mercedes is quite pleased with the results.