Goodyear Testing Connected Tyres For Enhanced Performance And Safety
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is testing connected tyres for their potential to enhance vehicle performance and safety. Thus far, Goodyear has clocked 3 million miles of data from road tests and field trials with customers on its connected tyres. Connected tyres are fitted with embedded sensors that give them the ability to “talk” to the vehicle and the road, as well as measure characteristics of the tyre, that could lead to potential enhancement of vehicle performance and safety.
Initial studies have shown that Goodyear’s connected tyres are able to reduce the loss of stopping distance performance between a new and worn tyre by 30 percent. With the world steering towards electric and autonomous vehicles, communication of connected tyres with the vehicle becomes even more important on the impact they can have on stopping distance.
Goodyear’s intelligent connected tyre system continuously measures and records information from the tyres. This is matched then with other vehicle data and connected to Goodyear’s cloud-based proprietary algorithms. The intelligent tyres are capable of measuring tyre wear, load, inflation and temperature, along with road surface conditions, in real time, allowing the vehicle to adjust and respond to these measurements and optimise vehicle performance.
“Consider someone driving on a slick, curvy road in wet conditions. The driver adjusts his movements by slowing down, tapping the brakes or avoiding sudden steering,” said Chris Helsel, Goodyear’s Chief Technology Officer. “But what happens when nobody is behind the wheel? The tyre is the only part of the vehicle that touches the ground and it can communicate vital information to the vehicle, enhancing safety and performance.”
While Goodyear’s connected tyres are not yet available to consumers, the company is continuously testing connected tyres extensively with auto makers, start-ups and more, developing custom products and solutions to help enhance safe riding experiences with eventual use by consumers down the road.
