Closest thing you can get to a thinking tyre
Motorshows, especially the international ones, always offer visitors a huge wow factor. Goodyear has announced its Triple Tube concept tyre at the Geneva International Motor Show.
The tyre can inflate and deflate based on road conditions to deliver improved performance and versatility for drivers. This technology could be linked to autonomous cars in the future by allowing the tyre to “prepare” the shape it needs before it enters a curve.
It delivers ultimate performance in a single tyre by automatically adjusting to three different positions based on road conditions:
Eco/Safety – Offers reduced rolling resistance through optimised stiffness distribution. It also provides dry braking through a wide footprint in contact with the road.
Sporty – Gives drivers dry handling through optimised contact patch using active conical shape.
Wet Safety – Provides high aquaplaning resistance, through a raised tread in the centre of the tyre, leading to a bigger tyre diameter resulting in a narrow and long footprint.
The tyre relies on an internal pump that moves air from the main air chamber to the three individual air chambers. The multiple air chambers provide extended mobility, as one punctured chamber would still allow the driver to continue his journey. Finally, the Triple Tube side-wall can be customized to fit the look and feel of the spoke and rim of its original equipment manufacturer.
The Triple Tube concept tyre compound is also fully sustainable and made with silica derived from rice husk ash, a technology already announced by Goodyear in 2014.
“TheTriple Tube is a testimony to our engineers. These tyres embody that spirit by adapting and providing optimal performance to whatever journey awaits. The tyres bring together environmental benefits by reducing CO2 emissions and use of sustainable materials, as well as safety benefits and enhanced mobility in case of a puncture,” said Jean-Pierre Jeusette, general director at the Goodyear Innovation Center in Luxembourg.
The Triple Tube is a pure concept development and will not be produced by Goodyear. Concept tyres are designed as part of the company’s innovation process and are developed to stir debate, discuss possible solutions and enable engineers to think out of the box to deliver smart solutions for a smart future.
