Birmingham,
28
September
2020
|
10:09
Europe/Amsterdam

Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3 Crowned All Season Tyre Test Winner by Germany’s Auto Bild and UK’s Tyre Reviews

Goodyear has more All-Season test wins than any other brand.[1]The new Vector 4Seasons Gen-3 is continuing the tradition. This week it was awarded test wins by prestigious German magazine Auto Bild (issue 39-2020), as well as Tyre Reviews, the leading source of independent tire information in the world.

The All Season tire segment is expanding rapidly, having witnessed around 21 percent growth across Europe over the last five years.[2] It’s also a segment where motorists have high expectations, demanding a product that is well-balanced and can deliver performance in all road and weather conditions.[3]

Auto Bild’s editorial team named the Vector 4Seasons Gen-3 winner of their current all-season tire test, highlighting the tire’s "convincing performance in all weather conditions. Dynamic handling on snow, in wet and dry conditions. Very good winter performance, high mileage". Auto Bild also awarded the tire the prestigious “EcoMaster” title in recognition of its test-leading performance in the mileage, rolling resistance and price/mileage ratio categories.

Jon Benson, owner and tester for Tyre Reviews crowned the Vector 4Seasons Gen-3 test winner in the 2020 17” All Season Tyre Test, commenting that “The new Goodyear Vector 4Season Gen-3 earns a win in its first test, proving to have the most rounded ability of all the all season tyres included.”[4]

“It’s great to see wins with the Vector 4Seasons Gen-3 product so soon after its launch into the market. We are particularly thrilled to be recognized by prestigious publications such as Auto Bild and Tyre Reviews,” said Mike Rytokoski, Chief Marketing Officer for Goodyear Europe.

Eight times around the world

Developing All-Season tires is one of the greatest challenges for tire engineers. It requires developing a summer and winter tire simultaneously. This means that the new product must be tested under a wide range of weather and road conditions before being launched into the market.

Goodyear uses test tracks around the world all year round for this purpose. "All in all, test drivers run a real marathon as they cover about 320,000 kilometers at the wheel of the test vehicles. In such a development project, they circle the globe a total of eight times. In addition, some 36,000 engineering hours and 3,800 laboratory tests are required to achieve the desired performance level of the new tire," explains Alexandre Scharis, Technical Project Manager for Winter and All-Season, Consumer EMEA at Goodyear.

Three innovations in one tire

The result of this meticulous development process is the Vector 4Seasons Gen-3’s, an All-Season tire that combines three key technologies that provide an optimum balance of performance criteria in snowy, wet and dry conditions.

Firstly, its Snow Grip Technology ensures improved grip on snow.[5] Secondly, the tire’s Dry Handling Technology results, among other things, in five percent better dry braking compared to the previous generation of the tire.[6] Finally, thanks to Aqua Control Technology, the tire maintains its predecessor’s impressive level of aquaplaning resistance, even as the tread depth decreases

“Goodyear made significant investments to make the best even better with the latest generation of our award-winning Vector 4Seasons tire range,” Rytokoski continued, “Not only have we delivered a product with well-balanced performance, but, by leveraging our experience from endurance racing we are providing improved value for drivers who will benefit from a 14% improvement in mileage[7] and 6% improvement in energy efficiency[8] versus the previous generation of the tire.”

Read HERE the full interview with Alexandre Scharis, Technical Project Manager for Winter and All-Season, Consumer EMEA at Goodyear.

[1]Based on 41 reviews in journals from November 2013 to September 2020, conducted by 16 of the leading and independent European tire magazines. The calculation is based on the number of goodyear test wins in the All-Season category over all competitors tested. More information under: https://www.goodyear.eu/en_gb/consumer/legal-disclaimer-test-claims.html

[2] ETRMA, EDW & GFK 2016-2020

[3] All Season IPSOS study Dec. 2019

[4] https://www.tirereviews.co.uk/Article/2020-Tire-Reviews-All-Season-Tire-Test.htm

[5] Internal test, size 205/55R16 91V on VW Golf.

[6] Internal test, size 205/55R16 91V on VW Golf.

[7] Internal test. Tire Size 205/55 R16 94V on VW Golf.

[8] Based on Internal Rolling Resistance lab test. Tire Size 205/55 R16 94V.

Boilerplate

Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies. It employs about 62,000 people and manufactures its products in 46 facilities in 21 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio, and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.