Goodyear launches new fuel efficient and versatile product line FUELMAX ENDURANCE
Supporting truck manufacturers and transportation companies in their move towards a more sustainable future
- Low emissions and hard-wearing
- Efficient and versatile – bringing the fuel efficiency of the highway to more roads
- Full range features EU B-label for fuel efficiency in combination with high levels of grip and traction
Goodyear has announced a new fuel efficient and versatile product line called FUELMAX ENDURANCE. This range of steer and drive axle tyres provides an innovative solution for transportation and logistics companies operating both on highways and secondary or state roads referred to as inter-regional applications.
The new range will support thousands of European fleets and truck manufacturers to reduce the carbon footprint by combining the fuel efficiency levels known in long-haul applications with the durability, traction and mileage required to drive on secondary and state roads. The company states the new product line is the most versatile fuel-efficient it has ever produced and underlines all sizes feature a B- label in fuel efficiency1 while offering a leading performance in inter-regional applications.
The sustainability dilemma
Sustainability is a key focus area across different stakeholders and industries. The European Commission presented in December 2019, the European Green Deal aiming to become the first climate neutral continent by 2050 and including an ambitious primary target to reduce net green gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.
Vehicle manufacturers, fleet managers and operators are under increasing pressure to meet sustainability targets whilst operating on low margins. Regulators, investors and end-customers are demanding ‘clean’ products being transported in the most sustainable way. To support a real move towards a climate-neutral future in a highly complex environment like transportation, green and efficient operations need to go hand-in-hand, without adding complexity. With the new FUELMAX ENDURANCE, we bring the fuel efficiency known in highway operations to secondary and state routes. It’s efficient and hard-wearing, offering low emissions and excellent grip as well as long-lasting performance and mileage. With this new product line, we wanted to bridge the gap between sustainability and reality in the daily operations.
Goodyear’s decision to come with a new range that focuses on both fuel efficiency and endurance is anticipating the move towards more sustainable transport and evolving demand for more versatile products by both transportation companies and truck manufacturers.
Efficient and long-lasting performance
As a new standard tyre fitment for new trucks, the range covers a wide variety of haulage applications while supporting manufacturers to further lower emissions levels of new heavy-duty-vehicles by 2% on average in comparison to a C-label tyre for fuel efficiency.1 In line with Europe’s overall ambition, CO2 emissions of new production commercial vehicles need to be reduced by 15% from 2025 onwards and even double, 30% as of 2030 in comparison to 2019-20 baseline.
Until now transportation operators often had to choose between durability, strong mileage performance or excellent fuel efficiency when it comes to tyres. FUELMAX ENDURANCE is designed to make that choice easier for fleet managers who are seeking cost and fuel efficiency as they are no longer limited by the type of road they operate on.
The FUELMAX ENDURANCE range is a real gamechanger within the tyre and transportation industry as it is efficient and versatile offering both low emissions and excellent mileage plus traction. A reduction of 2% in CO2 reduction translates into a saving of about 1 tonne CO2 emissions and 400L of fuel per truck, per year. In case a 100 vehicles fleet switches from a C-label to a fuel-efficient B-label tyre like FUELMAX ENDURANCE this would represent a potential saving of 100 tonnes of CO2 emissions and 40.000 Litres of fuel, per year. You can imagine the potential when we start multiplying the numbers of vehicles and fleets.
Key development focus areas
While setting new standards, Goodyear engineers focused on bridging three conflicting areas in the development spectrum to secure fuel efficiency and low emissions versus 1. mileage, 2. traction and 3. versatility.
As a starting point, the development of the new product line is based around demonstrated Goodyear technologies. On top, customized innovations for the steer and drive axle positions extend Goodyear’s established fuel efficiency capabilities to a wider range of routes, while safeguarding traction, grip and mileage trough a robust, versatile design.2
The FUELMAX S ENDURANCE steer tyre combines Goodyear’s proven IntelliMax Rib Technology in a 5 or 6 rib design with ingenuity in the rib distribution and groove geometry. The stiffeners in the shoulder grooves connect when the tyre rolls increasing the robustness of tyre and limiting wear in more demanding off-highway journeys, where stop-start driving, curb stone impact, increased turning and manoeuvring and more braking put additional demands on tyres.
The increased tread depth on selected steer sizes results in more wearable rubber3, providing better grip later in the service life. An innovative low energy-loss tread compound offsets heat generation caused by load forces on the steer position. A number of steer tyres also feature an optimized sidewall compound further contributing to lower emissions and fuel efficiency as it decreases flexion and deformation of the sidewall in off-highway operations.
In addition, to the innovative tread compound for use on the drive axle, the drive tyre benefits of a dedicated curing process to further optimize rolling resistance. The directional tread design includes a high number of deep sipes, deep centre grooves and more biting edges to improve traction and evacuate water more effectively.
By combining recognized and new technologies, the full FUELMAX ENDURANCE range provides high fuel efficiency (B-label), with enhanced robustness, late life grip and traction. Both steer and drive tyres are featuring the 3PMSF certification and are equipped with RFID enabling connected tyre management.
More sustainability by adding extra service life with Goodyear Retreading and intelligent solutions
Underlining Goodyear’s commitment to the circular economy the new FUELMAX ENDURANCE is fully compatible with Goodyear’s Retreading program. The drive tyre will be available as a premium TreadMax moldcure retread adding extra mileage while providing the same features and benefits as the new innovative tread and reducing tyre costs up to 30%4.
In combination with Goodyear’s smart tyre monitoring solutions including Goodyear TPMS, Drive-Over-Reader and most recently launched DrivePoint, the service life and fuel efficiency can be significantly enhanced. Further supporting transportation companies in their move towards a more sustainable future.
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For FACTSHEETS FUELMAX ENDURANCE STEER & DRIVE TYRE : see downloads
