Able to face the snow without completely breaking up in summer, all-season tires are constantly seeing their market share increase. Goodyear, which prides itself on being the pioneer of the genre, invited us to discover how its Vector 4Seasons Gen-3 is designed.
Pizzas are not the only ones that can be “4 seasons”. In the world of tires, this type of envelope is successful with no less than 18% growth in Europe between 2016 and 2021 on a stable, or even declining, global market. It must be said that, on the menu, the menu is tempting. The Michelin Crossclimate, Goodyear Vector 4seasons and other Pirelli Cinturato All Season have the advantage of being used all year round, unlike winter or summer tires. No more logistical headaches, especially since most of them are compatible with the recent mountain II law. But to offer this versatility, manufacturers must indulge in a large gap worthy of an Olympic gymnast. How do they do it? Goodyear invited us to its innovation center in Luxembourg to explain to us how its Vector 4seasons Gen-3 is designed, the lineage of which began in 1985. The American was thus present in the segment 27 years before Michelin because the Crossclimate was born only in 2012!
Snow all year round
At first, the reception we received was freezing. We are indeed meeting at the “winter lab”, a laboratory in which temperatures down to -20 degrees prevail. Created ten years ago, this space allows, thanks to sophisticated machinery, to produce snow almost 365 days a year. More or less hard, more or less humid, more or less cold … To adapt to the highly variable properties of this typically winter surface, many parameters can be modified. If there is not enough space to accommodate whole tires, let alone a vehicle, Goodyear can in this way test the effectiveness of different mixtures of materials or tread designs on a small scale. Before deciding between those which have proved their worth during tests in real conditions which are much more expensive and complex to organize, for example in Scandinavia.
TO READ. Winter or 4-season tires: what to choose to equip your car?
A design that combines aesthetics and technology
Then the “advanced design” department welcomes us. Yes, you read that correctly: while a tire design may seem only dictated by technical constraints, Goodyear does employ designers. To offer themselves more freedom, they sometimes even create spectacular “concept-tires”, such as those which equipped the Citroën 19_19 anniversary concept car. But mass production obeys other imperatives.
““All-season tires are one of the most complicated products because we want to communicate on opposite things,” explains Sébastien Fontaine, design manager at the Goodyear innovation center in Luxembourg. “
There are many sources of inspiration: animals, buildings, fashion items… The designers thus try to put their mark on the sides as well as on the tread.
Nevertheless, they recognize that there will rarely be much of their initial ideas after the two years it takes to develop a model like the Vector 4seasons Gen-3, and then the year still required for its industrialization. If aesthetics have gained in importance in recent years, it is the technique that takes precedence in the recipe for a good “4 seasons”. Unveiled in August 2020, Goodyear’s latest addition includes numerous sipes to grip the snow, deep grooves to limit the risk of aquaplaning in the rain and very rigid shoulders to reduce deformation during strong downforce. on dry ground.
A recipe with 17 ingredients
However, having an efficient and pleasant design is not enough. Like in a pizza, it is also crucial to choose the right ingredients. This is good: for our last indoor workshop, we are invited to the gum mixes laboratory. Here, no tomatoes, mozzarella or Parma ham. We are talking more about silica, polymers or carbon black. In total, the Vector 4seasons Gen-3 employs no less than 17 different components, which are kneaded and heated up to 160 degrees during manufacture. The result is a rubber that is softer than that of a summer tire. The latter thus remains more effective in hot weather, but loses its properties as soon as the outside temperature drops below 7 degrees. The workshop ends by showing us that its rubber can end up breaking down when the thermometer drops to -20 degrees, or even from 5 degrees for a competition tire!
TO READ. Winter tires: what regulations in other European countries?
Overwhelming superiority … on conquered ground
Finally, it is by entrusting us with the steering wheel of various vehicles that Goodyear will try to prove to us the effectiveness of its all-season tire in difficult conditions. With various tests mainly carried out on epoxy, a surface as slippery as ice. Faced with the brand new Crossclimate 2 from Michelin, its main competitor in France, the American tire has shown us several times that it allows much shorter stopping distances. It then clearly dominated the Bridgestone Weather Control A005 during hill starts on the same surface. Before showing us, finally, that it still allowed our vehicle to turn during a steep descent, when a Goodyear summer tire inevitably generated a “straight ahead” at the same speed. Unfortunately, these rather brief essays cannot be taken at face value. It would take more tests and a neutral ground to validate them. But the Vector 4seasons Gen-3, available in more than 100 sizes, can still boast of having been chosen as the “best all-season tire” in 2020 and 2021 during reviews organized by the German magazine Auto Bild. On the other hand, it is unlikely that its recipe will entitle it to three Michelin stars!
TO READ. Winter and 4-season tires: everything you need to know
