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aerohead · 12-02-2009, 06:22 PM

From Road&Track Mag.,May 1992,the Goodyear tires constructed for the GM Ultralite had 70% less R-R than the typical steel-belted all-season radial of the day.
I spoke with Paul Bowers,Chief of design for Goodyear about granting a manufacturing license for the technology.He told me,that while Goodyear had manufactured the tires,the design was the property of GM.
In a letter to GM,I inquired about the possibility of a licensing agreement from them,to allow Goodyear,or any other tire manufacturer to produce the low R-R tires.
I received a polite letter from Mr. Chuck Leahy,of GM's legal affairs thanking me for my interest in their tire technology,and in so many words left my quest for their tire closed-ended.
Had such technology been available,the 70% load reduction would have translated to a bolt-on 14% mpg improvement,3.5 mpg in the case of my T-100.
35.5 mpg at up to 75 miles per hour would be common with these tires."Highway" mpg would be even higher,as it is derived at an average 48.6 mph on the dyno.
With additional aero mods,I believe the quest for a 40-mpg mid-size truck is within the realm of the doable.A set of those tires would really help!

12-02-2009, 06:22 PM	#92 (permalink)
aerohead Master EcoModder Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Sanger,Texas,U.S.A. Posts: 16,306 Thanks: 24,436 Thanked 7,384 Times in 4,782 Posts	Rolling-Resistance and the 40-mpg truck From Road&Track Mag.,May 1992,the Goodyear tires constructed for the GM Ultralite had 70% less R-R than the typical steel-belted all-season radial of the day. I spoke with Paul Bowers,Chief of design for Goodyear about granting a manufacturing license for the technology.He told me,that while Goodyear had manufactured the tires,the design was the property of GM. In a letter to GM,I inquired about the possibility of a licensing agreement from them,to allow Goodyear,or any other tire manufacturer to produce the low R-R tires. I received a polite letter from Mr. Chuck Leahy,of GM's legal affairs thanking me for my interest in their tire technology,and in so many words left my quest for their tire closed-ended. Had such technology been available,the 70% load reduction would have translated to a bolt-on 14% mpg improvement,3.5 mpg in the case of my T-100. 35.5 mpg at up to 75 miles per hour would be common with these tires."Highway" mpg would be even higher,as it is derived at an average 48.6 mph on the dyno. With additional aero mods,I believe the quest for a 40-mpg mid-size truck is within the realm of the doable.A set of those tires would really help!