Prototype Goodyear military tyre cuts rolling resistance by 40%

Work on a new, low rolling resistance military tyre and other projects has earned Goodyear high praise from some of the American military’s former top brass. US senator and retired Navy secretary John Warner and vice admiral Dennis McGinn (retired), who is now vice chairman for the CNA Military Advisory Board, recently visited the tyre maker’s headquarters in Akron, Ohio as part of a US-wide tour sponsored by the Pew Project on National Security, Energy and Climate, a group dedicated to highlighting connections between national security, energy independence, the economy and climate change.

During the visit, Goodyear displayed a prototype military tyre built for a US Department of Defense instigated project. The tyre was designed for use on a now under development, fuel efficient replacement for the military Humvee and is said to use new materials, size and inflation pressure in order to deliver a 40 per cent improvement in rolling resistance compared with current military tyres. Warner and McGinn also met with Goodyear officials and discussed rolling resistance initiatives for military and civilian tyres.

Senator Warner said the “bottom line” result of improving fuel efficiency in tyres is that it will make America less dependent on foreign oil. “So I say ‘well done’ to the employees here in Akron of Goodyear and all across the country and all across the world,” he stated. Admiral McGinn, who as a naval aviator experienced close to 1,000 jet landings on Goodyear tyres, added: “I came to Akron and to Goodyear expecting to be impressed and this visit has exceeded even my high expectations. The innovation that is evident here in this great American company with global reach is really, really impressive.”

“Tyres are highly engineered products and can play a critical role in helping improve fuel efficiency of consumer, commercial and military vehicles,” commented Joe Zekoski, Goodyear’s vice president of global product development. “Goodyear is committed to continuing to develop innovative fuel efficient technologies. To date, we have improved overall rolling resistance of our tyres by 30 per cent.”