Goodyear shares insights into tuning tires for performance electric cars.

• Audi, Porsche and Tesla choose Goodyear for fastest electric saloons 
• Goodyear develops specific technologies for powerful electric cars.
• From road to race: Goodyear at the forefront of electrifying racing.

The headline-making performance figures of recent electric car launches has highlighted that the move to electrification is not only eliminating emissions, but raising the bar in terms of sheer acceleration and instant performance. 

Recent super-saloon launches from leading manufacturers such as Audi and Porsche have added to the list of electric cars that can hit 100km/h faster than many traditional supercars. For Goodyear, this has brought exciting new challenges for tire design and development.

Goodyear’s challenge is to create tires that can harness the immense torque of a supercar-slaying electric vehicle (EV) but deliver the comfort, durability and low rolling resistance that’s essential in this premium luxury end of the vehicle market. 

Premium brands choose Goodyear for EV Original Equipment 

With original equipment (OE) fitments on exciting electric performance super saloons such as the Audi e-tron GT, the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 is already making its mark as an EV oriented tire. Four-door saloons such as the RS version of the e-tron GT can produce more than 600 hp, taking their occupants from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in as little as 3.3 seconds. The performance credentials of these cars is clear, and so they require a performance tire to match.

Goodyear’s Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 is an ultra high performance (UHP) tire designed for sports and performance cars of all sizes. While already a favoured tire for hot hatches and performance cars powered by traditional engines, the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 has recently been selected by leading manufacturers for their flagship electric super saloons. This required Goodyear to develop specific technologies to maximise the performance, handling, comfort and long range abilities of premium performance electric super saloons.

For OEMs, Goodyear developed the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 in 17” to 21” fitments. Half of the sizes have an ‘A’ rating for rolling resistance, supporting the need for long-range versatility, and Goodyear has also developed their RunOnFlat technology as an option for OEMs wanting to remove the requirement for a spare wheel or tire repair kits. This means more space can be freed up for batteries, thus boosting the range and power. 

When Audi chose Goodyear for the recently launched Audi e-tron GT quattro and RS e-tron GT, Goodyear optimized performance by reducing flex in the tread pattern, resulting in precise steering and higher grip levels. 

With Porsche and Tesla also choosing Goodyear for their high-performance electric saloons, it is clear that Goodyear is at the forefront of developing tires that can harness the power whilst delivering efficiency. Laurent Colantonio, Goodyear’s Regional Technology Director for Consumer Tires in EMEA explained the challenges of tuning tires for powerful electric cars: “Tires need to be able to cope with the instant torque and additional vehicle weight. There was also a need to help increase driving range between charges and reduce road noise, which is more noticeable with a quiet electric motor. 

“When we develop a tire to suit an electric car, there’s specific areas to focus on. We can tune the tread’s sipes to allow for a larger rubber contact patch. The tire can then better cope with high levels of torque while maintaining high performance in wet conditions. Our work on the tread design also prevents sound waves from entering its grooves, reducing noise. We can also optimize the cavity shape to support additional weight and modify the tread compound to extend the vehicle range while coping with high levels of torque.” 

Electrifying performance on the road and the racetrack

Goodyear’s electric vehicle and motorsport knowledge meant the company was the natural choice to be the exclusive tire supplier and founding partner of PURE ETCR, the world’s first all-electric multi-brand touring car series.

Goodyear developed a unique treaded race tire for PURE ETCR, sharing a great deal of technology with the Eagle F1 SuperSport road tire but optimised to maximise the performance of the 500 kW (670 hp) PURE ETCR race cars. The race tire features the same Power Shoulder of the road tire to improve cornering performance through its massive closed outside pattern, while the super stiff sidewall design of the High Force Construction technology results in better handling and driving stability. 

“This development of the Eagle F1 SuperSport for race cars and the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 for super saloons shows Goodyear is setting the pace when it comes to developing tires for the most extreme electric vehicles” concluded Colantonio.