Goodyear Introduces New Fuelmax Truck Tire Series

Goodyear introduces the new Fuelmax Endurance, a versatile product line of fuel-efficient truck tires. Transport and logistics companies receive an innovative solution for mixed use on highways as well as on federal and country roads with the new tires for the steering and drive axle.

(Hanau/Voketswil) Goodyear introduces the new Fuelmax Endurance, a versatile product line of fuel-efficient truck tires. Transport and logistics companies receive an innovative solution for mixed use on highways as well as on federal and country roads with the new tires for the steering and drive axle.

With the new product line, fleet operators and truck manufacturers in Europe can reduce their CO2 footprint, as the new tire combines the fuel efficiency known from long-distance transport with the robustness, traction, and mileage required on federal and country roads. Goodyear emphasizes that the new tire range is characterized by the highest versatility and fuel efficiency ever offered by the manufacturer. Additionally, the provider highlights that all sizes in the range carry the EU tire label B for fuel efficiency while being particularly effective in extended regional transport.

The Sustainability Dilemma

Sustainability is a central issue for various stakeholders in many industries. In December 2019, the European Commission presented its strategy for the European Green Deal to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. This includes the ambitious goal of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030 compared to 1990.

“Vehicle manufacturers, fleet managers, and fleet operators are under increasing pressure to achieve sustainability goals while working with low margins. Regulators, investors, and end customers demand environmentally friendly products that are transported as sustainably as possible. To make a significant step towards a climate-neutral future in the complex transport environment, sustainability and efficiency must go hand in hand without increasing complexity,” says Grégory Boucharlat, Vice-President, Commercial Europe, Goodyear. “With the new Fuelmax Endurance, we bring the fuel efficiency known from highways to federal and country roads. The new tire range is efficient and resilient. It promotes low emissions and offers excellent grip, long-lasting performance, and high mileage potential. With the new product line, we aim to bridge the gap between the reality of daily operations and sustainability goals.”

By deciding to launch a new tire series that is both fuel-efficient and durable, Goodyear anticipates a dual development: the trend towards more sustainable transport and the increasing demand for versatile products from transport companies and truck manufacturers.

Efficiency and Durable Performance

Equipping new trucks with Fuelmax Endurance is the ideal solution for transport companies, as the new product line is suitable for a wide range of transport applications. At the same time, it allows OEMs to reduce CO2 emissions from heavy commercial vehicles by an average of two percent compared to tires with a C-label for fuel efficiency. [1] In line with the European overall target, CO2 emissions from new series commercial vehicles must be reduced by 15 percent from 2025 and by 30 percent from 2030 compared to the baseline year 2019-20.

Until now, transport companies often had to choose between wear resistance, high mileage potential, and top fuel efficiency when selecting tires. Fleet managers expecting both cost and fuel efficiency have an easy choice with the new Fuelmax Endurance, as the new range is designed for more than one type of road network.

“The Fuelmax Endurance product line is a true game changer in the tire and transport sector, as it is efficient and versatile. It allows for emissions reductions while providing excellent mileage potential with outstanding traction,” says Maciej Szymanski, Marketing Director, Commercial Business Unit Europe, Goodyear. “A further reduction of CO2 by two percent decreases CO2 emissions by about one ton and fuel consumption by about 400 liters per truck per year. If a fleet of 100 vehicles switches from a C-label tire to a fuel-efficient B-label tire like the Fuelmax Endurance, it results in potential savings of 100 tons of CO2 emissions and 40,000 liters of fuel per year. Just imagine the potential that unfolds when we multiply the number of vehicles and fleets in our calculation.”

Development Focus Areas

To set new standards, Goodyear engineers focused on harmonizing previously conflicting development tasks. Their goal was to ensure fuel efficiency and low emissions while balancing both with the three factors of mileage potential, traction, and versatility.

The starting point is initially proven technologies from Goodyear. Additionally, tailored innovations for the steering and drive axle extend Goodyear’s proven fuel efficiency to other road networks. A robust, versatile design simultaneously ensures traction, grip, and mileage potential. [2].

The Fuelmax Endurance for the steering axle combines Goodyear’s proven IntelliMax profile rib technology for tread patterns featuring five or six profile ribs with an innovative arrangement of these profile ribs and an equally innovative groove geometry. The stabilization bridges in the shoulder grooves connect during rolling and stabilize the contact area, reducing wear in applications that do not take place on highways. In such applications, the tires are subjected to increased stop-and-go traffic, curb impacts, frequent turning and maneuvering, and repeated braking.

In selected steering axle models, a deeper profile provides an increased abrasion-resistant rubber volume [3]. This ensures better grip in later phases of the product life cycle. An innovative tread compound balances the heat generation that occurs due to high loads above the steering axle position. Some steering axle models also offer optimized sidewall reinforcement. The increased stiffness and reduced deformability of the sidewall contribute to lowering emissions and enhancing fuel efficiency in applications that do not take place on highways.

Innovative Tread Compound

The tire for the drive axle features an innovative tread compound for improved rolling resistance, achieved through a special vulcanization process. The directional tread design offers many deep sipes and deep, centrally arranged tread grooves to create additional gripping edges for increased traction and more effective water evacuation from the tread.

By combining proven and new technologies, the Fuelmax Endurance product line offers high fuel efficiency (B-label), paired with improvements in robustness, grip, and traction throughout its entire lifespan. Both the steering axle tire and the drive axle tire carry the 3PMSF symbol for all-season suitability on the tire wall and are equipped with an RFID chip for connected tire management.

The Goodyear Retreading for Longer Tire Life Increases Sustainability

As a protagonist of a sustainable circular economy, the tire manufacturer offers a solution with the new Fuelmax Endurance that is retreadable. For the tire on the drive axle, the high-quality TreadMax hot retreading is offered. This provides the tire with additional mileage and the same performance characteristics and benefits as a completely new tread. Tire costs can thus be reduced by up to 30 percent [4].

A further significant increase in mileage potential and fuel efficiency can be achieved when the Fuelmax Endurance is combined with Goodyear’s intelligent tire management systems. These include Goodyear TPMS, the Drive-Over-Reader, and the recently introduced DrivePoint. Together, these solutions pave the way for transport companies towards a more sustainable future.

[1] EU Tire Label: All sizes of the new Fuelmax Endurance tire range feature the B-label for fuel efficiency. Figures according to VECTO calculation when switching from KMAX GEN-2 (C-label for fuel efficiency) to Fuelmax Endurance (B-label for fuel efficiency)

[4] According to internal data from the Goodyear Innovation Center in Luxembourg

Photos: © Goodyear