Goodyear takes aim at tuners

Goodyear's latest major U.S. product intro brings along, according to them, a new brand, Assurance. Of course it isn't a new brand, it's a new tire model name, like Tiempo, Aquatred, or Eagle, and Goodyear is still the brand. But Goodyear knows more about advanced design and building of purpose-built tires than it does about building brands, and this, um, thing, is an interesting one for its apparently fairly innovative construction.

The Assurance with "TripleTred Technology" is in effect an all-weather or all condition tire, incorporating "three unique tread zones for superior traction in any kind of weather." Whether you think radially, or across the tire patch, or maybe both, there is an ice zone (center), a dry zone (outside including reinforced shoulders), and a wet zone (between center and outside zones).

But it's not just different tread patterns that separate function, in effect, because there are three distinct and different rubber compounds incorporated, as well. Goodyear plays down the most innovative thing about the tire, the three compounds that go into the three distinct and specialized tread patterns. Maybe that's because you can carve and easily depict distinctive (and painstakingly created, computer-aided) tread patterns, but different compounds are a bit exotic for most tire-buyers to grok. This is a difficult manufacturing process, too.

The new tires have a 30 day no-risk trial offered. And they do drive very well under all conditions, including hard dry driving.

Meanwhile, across the road at Bridgestone, or Bridgestone/Firestone, they've actually introduced a new brand, Fuzion, which is designed, built, marketed, promoted, and targeted for a distinct market segment, (import) tuner cars and the tuners that tune them. An "extreme" brand, at that, aimed at a lifestyle and an application that logically precludes the Bridgestone/Firestone brand identity and explicitness of source.

This is a high performance aftermarket tire, maybe $400 to $500 a set, with a directional tread and very low profile. Driven on an Acura RSX head to head with the same car equipped with Yokohama AVS ES 100's (a popular tuner choice), the difference on a dry autocross course was dramatic. The car plows, and the Yokohamas were variable and unpredictable in their response to stressed driving, for instance when they wanted to stick or let go, which is inexcusable. On the other hand, the Fuzions largely overcame the Acura's natural understeer tendencies, and did so smoothly and consistently. Look for the signature bilious yellow green if you want to find Fuzion.

It will be found at a Bridgestone/Firestone outlet, where it, too, has a 30-day no-risk trial offer. -Bill Sharfman