bias/belted tires to be choice for new cars, goodyear says

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Chemical & Engineering NEWS APRIL 29, 1968 The Chemical World This Week Bias/belted tires to be choice for new cars, Goodyear says Bias-ply belted tires will be the tires of choice for new cars well into the 1970's, says Goodyear. The concept combines the bias angled cord con- struction of today's conventional tires with the undertread belt found in ra- dial tires. Advantages over conven- tional tires, as detailed by Goodyear's Paul E. Helms, Jr., to the ACS Divi- sion of Rubber Chemistry meeting in Cleveland last week, include longer tread life, greater impact resistance, and improved traction. Missing is the harsh ride associated with radiais. Goodyear is now marketing bias/ belted tires, tradenamed Polyglas, con- taining two carcass plies of polyester plus two belt plies of glass fiber. Some of these tires are already being offered as optional equipment on many 1968 model cars. Goodyear predicts that 72% of new cars will be equipped with bias/belted tires by 1971. Such quick acceptance by Detroit of a new tire concept embodying new cord materials is almost unprece- dented. Spurred by pressure from Detroit, rubber companies, including Firestone, Goodrich, Uniroyal, and General, are rushing marketing strat- egy for bias/belted tires for new cars. Armstrong is probing the replacement market with such a tire. Goodyear tested its Polyglas tires at speeds through 130 m.p.h. without failures. Bias/belted tires with glass fiber belts but with nylon or rayon carcass cords failed at 125 m.p.h., says Mr. Helms. Rayon and nylon cord tires also failed to match polyester in high-speed impact tests, durability tests, and in tests of handling and roughness. Durability tests are espe- cially important because the bias/ belted tire is intended as an extra- long-life tire. Bias/belted construction seems to accentuate flatspotting prob- lems of nylon, Mr. Helms says. While all the major tire makers are pressing to produce bias/belted tires, some aren't enamored of either the concept or the use of polyester for carcass cord. Goodrich, for example, feels strongly that bias/belted tires are an interim concept and insists that the radial tire is a higher performance product and will eventually dominate. But Goodrich admits that the onrush of the bias/belted tire has set back the radial tire in Detroit by about four years. It now sees the radial as a premium option on new cars. Firestone, too, feels that the bias/ belted tire is an interim product pend- ing perfection of the radial. And Fire- stone is not completely happy about Car makers quickly accept bias/belted tires for 1968 models Car maker Standard equipment Optional equipment General Motors All Chevrolet models, includ- ing Corvette; Pontiac Firebird and GTO; Oldsmobile 442 and F-85; Cadillac Eldorado Ford Shelby Mustang; Shelby Cougar Cobra Jet; Cougar XR-7 Chrysler All hemi-engined models; Plymouth Fury, Belvedere, Dodge Dart 340,383 Valiant, Barracuda; Dodge Charger, Coronet, Dart American Motors lAMX | Javelin Source: C&EN Goodyear bias/belted tire builder Quick acceptance by Detroit polyester cord. Nevertheless, Fire- stone has just started marketing bias/ belted tires with polyester carcass cord. The company says that some auto makers have approved them as optional equipment for 1969 cars. Uniroyal is tooling up to make bias/ belted tires, but it, too, has reserva- tions about polyester cord. The com- pany now plans to ship both rayon and polyester cord tires to the Detroit mar- ket. "All the returns aren't in yet," declares a Uniroyal tire man. Among the key returns not yet in are the tire-grade labeling standards due from the National Bureau of Standards this fall. The grading standards must be made available by September 1968, according to the Na- tional Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966. Intent of the standards is to better inform the consumer of the quality of tires he is buying. NBS is evaluating tire materials and tires for strength, durability, and traction. Brownie points will be awarded for better than standard performance. At stake is a big piece of the 500 million pound U.S. tire cord business. APRIL 29, 1968 C&EN 9

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Page 1: Bias/belted tires to be choice for new cars, Goodyear says

Chemical & Engineering

NEWS APRIL 29, 1968

The Chemical World This Week

Bias/belted tires to be choice for new cars, Goodyear says

Bias-ply belted tires will be the tires of choice for new cars well into the 1970's, says Goodyear. The concept combines the bias angled cord con­struction of today's conventional tires with the undertread belt found in ra­dial tires. Advantages over conven­tional tires, as detailed by Goodyear's Paul E. Helms, Jr., to the ACS Divi­sion of Rubber Chemistry meeting in Cleveland last week, include longer tread life, greater impact resistance, and improved traction. Missing is the harsh ride associated with radiais.

Goodyear is now marketing bias/ belted tires, tradenamed Polyglas, con­taining two carcass plies of polyester plus two belt plies of glass fiber. Some of these tires are already being offered as optional equipment on many 1968 model cars. Goodyear predicts that 72% of new cars will be equipped with bias/belted tires by 1971.

Such quick acceptance by Detroit of a new tire concept embodying new cord materials is almost unprece­dented. Spurred by pressure from Detroit, rubber companies, including Firestone, Goodrich, Uniroyal, and General, are rushing marketing strat­egy for bias/belted tires for new cars.

Armstrong is probing the replacement market with such a tire.

Goodyear tested its Polyglas tires at speeds through 130 m.p.h. without failures. Bias/belted tires with glass fiber belts but with nylon or rayon carcass cords failed at 125 m.p.h., says Mr. Helms. Rayon and nylon cord tires also failed to match polyester in high-speed impact tests, durability tests, and in tests of handling and roughness. Durability tests are espe­cially important because the bias/ belted tire is intended as an extra-long-life tire. Bias/belted construction seems to accentuate flatspotting prob­lems of nylon, Mr. Helms says.

While all the major tire makers are pressing to produce bias/belted tires, some aren't enamored of either the concept or the use of polyester for carcass cord. Goodrich, for example, feels strongly that bias/belted tires are an interim concept and insists that the radial tire is a higher performance product and will eventually dominate. But Goodrich admits that the onrush of the bias/belted tire has set back the radial tire in Detroit by about four years. It now sees the radial as a premium option on new cars.

Firestone, too, feels that the bias/ belted tire is an interim product pend­ing perfection of the radial. And Fire­stone is not completely happy about

Car makers quickly accept bias/belted tires for 1968 models

Car maker Standard equipment Optional equipment

General Motors All Chevrolet models, includ­ing Corvette; Pontiac Firebird and GTO; Oldsmobile 442 and F-85; Cadillac Eldorado

Ford Shelby Mustang; Shelby Cougar Cobra Jet; Cougar XR-7

Chrysler All hemi-engined models; Plymouth Fury, Belvedere, Dodge Dart 340,383 Valiant, Barracuda; Dodge

Charger, Coronet, Dart

American Motors lAMX | Javelin

Source: C&EN

Goodyear bias/belted tire builder Quick acceptance by Detroit

polyester cord. Nevertheless, Fire­stone has just started marketing bias/ belted tires with polyester carcass cord. The company says that some auto makers have approved them as optional equipment for 1969 cars.

Uniroyal is tooling up to make bias/ belted tires, but it, too, has reserva­tions about polyester cord. The com­pany now plans to ship both rayon and polyester cord tires to the Detroit mar­ket. "All the returns aren't in yet," declares a Uniroyal tire man.

Among the key returns not yet in are the tire-grade labeling standards due from the National Bureau of Standards this fall. The grading standards must be made available by September 1968, according to the Na­tional Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966. Intent of the standards is to better inform the consumer of the quality of tires he is buying. NBS is evaluating tire materials and tires for strength, durability, and traction. Brownie points will be awarded for better than standard performance. At stake is a big piece of the 500 million pound U.S. tire cord business.

APRIL 29, 1968 C&EN 9