Goodyear cuts stopping distance 30% with connected tyres

The Goodyear Tyre & Rubber Company is developing a connected tyre it claimed can reduce the stopping distance between a new and used tyre by 30%. Goodyear's intelligent tyre sends a continuous stream of data, including wear, load, inflation and temperature, to the firm's cloud-based proprietary algorithms, alongside other information from the car, enabling safety and performance to be optimised.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company recently eclipsed 3 million miles of data from road tests and field trials with its connected tires. (Earlier post.) Connected tires—those with embedded sensors—are able to “talk” to the vehicle and the road and measure characteristics of the tire, leading to potential enhanced vehicle performance and safety.

Initial studies have shown that Goodyear’s connected tires can reduce stopping distance lost between a new and worn tire by 30%. With the evolution to electric and autonomous vehicles, connected tires and the impact they can have on stopping distance, communication with the vehicle will only increase in importance.

Goodyear’s connected, intelligent tire system continuously measures and records tire-derived information, which is paired with other vehicle data and connected to Goodyear’s cloud-based proprietary algorithms.

The intelligent tires can measure tire wear, load, inflation and temperature, along with road surface conditions, in real time, allowing the vehicle to adjust and respond to these measurements and optimize vehicle performance.

Consider someone driving on a slick, curvy road in cold temperatures. The driver adjusts his movements by slowing down, tapping the brakes or avoiding sudden steering. But what happens when nobody is behind the wheel? The tire is the only part of the vehicle that touches the ground and it can communicate vital information to the vehicle, enhancing safety and performance. —Chris Helsel, Goodyear’s chief technology officer

While Goodyear’s connected tires are not yet available to consumers, the company is continuously testing connected tires extensively with auto makers, startups and more, developing custom products and solutions to help enhance safe riding experiences with eventual use by consumers down the road.