We partake in the science and technology of winter tire testing with Goodyear at the McKinley Climatic Hangar. Valparaiso, Fla. - Of all the places where a manufacturer could put its latest winter tires to the test, Goodyear has selected sunny, picturesque Florida. With ambient seasonal temperatures hovering
in the low 30s (Celsius, not Fahrenheit), it's far more hospitable than traditional Northern climates. In fact, Goodyear thinks it's such a good idea, it regularly conducts extensive winter tire tests and analysis adjacent to the gleaming, warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
No, its tire engineers and scientists have not gone off the deep end, nor are they using sand to simulate snow. Often, they can be found huddled inside the largest climatic test laboratory in the world - the McKinley Climatic Hanger located at the Elgin Air Force Base.
Gallery: Testing winter tires in ... Florida?
Bing: Find winter tires near you
Photo: Richard Russell
Massive doesn't come close to describing the size of the building - it has a little more than 75 metres by 80 metres of uninterrupted floor space, and is nearly 20 metres tall. Each of its four chambers is larger than most other climatic facilities around the world, and can house jetliners for testing. In addition to temperature control, these smaller chambers offer environmental simulations ranging from sand and dust storms to salt fog and high-altitude rapid decompression.
The McKinley Hangar can be heated to 74C or cooled to -54C. For our purposes, it was a chilly but not unreasonable -6C inside. By contrast, it was a rather balmy 34C outside. To make the arena feel like a Canadian city blasted by a mid-winter snowstorm, the facility's snow-making gear had produced 15 cm of snow which was compacted over three-quarters of the floor, while ice-making equipment created a 15-metre-wide strip of sheer ice running down the length of the arena.
More winter driving articles from MSN Autos:
Why your new car still needs winter tires
Winter off-roading for beginners
Rubber, meet snow; snow, meet rubber
Photo: Samuel King Jr., US Air Force Photo
Goodyear conducts a myriad of carefully instrumented tests here. On this occasion its engineers were comparing their new Ultra Grip Ice WRT SUVs and light trucks winter tires. Internal tests utilize one of a trio of very special light duty pickups designed for tire testing purposes. They have a specially developed rear suspension and use electric motors to power the rear wheels. This allows more consistent and accurate measuring of the forces applied to the tire and the traction available. A myriad of sensors and other electronic apparatuses allow engineers to set and monitor everything from slip angles to how much torque is sent to which wheel and the results.
As for us, we wheeled around in full-size SUVs and pickups shod with the Goodyear's latest as well as the competition. While we don't have any test figures, what we can report is that the Ultra Grip WRT tires felt better, delivering improved braking and steering feel on snow, ice and yes, even summer conditions as a few laps around an outdoor circuit demonstrated.
Goodyear says its scientists and engineers have achieved a breakthrough with this new tire, a combination of features providing improved reactions on snow-covered, icy, slushy, wet and dry roads. They call it WRT or Winter Reactive Technology.
Winter tires are effective because their special rubber compound remains flexible in very cold conditions. These tires also have a special tread pattern and sipes (miniature biting edges) which help to evacuate slush, snow and water from the tread, and enhance grip when starting and stopping on ice. The new Ultra Grip winters have these characteristics, but what sets them apart is WRT and Goodyear's new TredLock technology.
In the centre of the tire are special tread blades, which, when the tire contacts the ground, open to allow for maximum rubber-to-road grip, enhancing accelerating and stopping abilities. But what about cornering? That's where TredLock comes into play. The arrangement of the tread around the outer edge and sidewalls is in such a way that it can react to G-forces placed on the tire. When cornering, braking or accelerating, these tread blocks can interlock to keep the overall tread from warping and bending. It also improves the tire's lateral stiffness, improving grip and steering feel.
A difference you can feel, wet, dry, warm or cold
Photo: Richard Russell
On packed snow the difference between the new Goodyear and the main competition was clear - both steering feel and outright grip were superior. Because tread flex was reduced, initial bite upon turn-in was greater, while understeer was reduced. On pure ice surface, the Goodyears maintained this advantage, particularly in acceleration and braking.
Although winter tires are primarily used for winter driving, they must also be able to endure driving in decidedly un-winter-like conditions. Outside, we tested the tires on wetted-down concrete - here the 3D TredLock's abilities to prevent the tread from warping excessively under cornering were very noticable; the truck equipped with Goodyear tires not only had more steering fee, it also had more grip than others using rival tires.
The new Ultra Grip WRT line is available in a variety of sizes and with separate load-ratings and tread patterns for light trucks and SUVs and CUVs. Prices range from $225 to $350 per tire.
