Propickup Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/105105
GOODYEAR ULTRA GRIP ICE WRT Goodyear sent a set of Ultra Grip Ice WRTs, the company's first dedicated winter tire for pickups and SUVs, in an "E"-rated LT265R70/17 to match the OEM tires. The "E"-rating is important for those who find themselves towing heavy fifth wheels and goosenecks. The Ultra Grip Ice WRT (Winter Reactive Technology), a directional tire designed for light trucks that retails in the $250 range, features one pattern of tread blocks in the center region and a much different design in the shoulder/intermediate region. The polymer blends used in the tire's rubber compound helps it remain soft and flexible at low temperatures so they perform much better on cold road surfaces. "The 2D blades provide sharp biting edges that help deliver excellent straight-ahead traction on ice and snow," explains Goodyear's Jim Davis. "Our patented 3D 'Waffle Blades' in the shoulder and intermediate zones of the tire help improve shoulder block stiffness, maximizing the sipe density while optimizing steering and handling on dry and wet winter roads, as well as dry braking performance." "The Ultra Grip ice WRT tread pattern is designed to provide excellent grip on slush, snow and ice by dispersing slush and water as quickly and efficiently as possible." Our three contenders get a light dusting as they sit in subfreezing temps before the start of the morning testing session. and most consistent laps, much like a veteran dirt-track driver does. LATE FOR WORK Our "control" tires were the Goodyear SR-A radials that came on our 2011 GMC Sierra 2500HD 4x4 Crew Cab. We took the tire's M&S rating to mean marginally sufficient in our test conditions. The Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT's tread design and rubber compound proved to be a surprise performer on the ice and snow. cool-down between each of the six runs to prevent heat-induced brake fade from creeping into the picture. "We want to make sure we know exactly what the surface under the control tire will be," explains Kuykendall, who has been gathering tire data like this for decades. "We'll keep these results handy, and as we go through the day, we'll rerun that control [tire] to see how the track surface has changed. "Unlike a paved surface that is consistent," say says Kuykendall, "we are dealing with a surface that gets that g that ge modified every single time a tire rolls r over it. "Whe he hether t "Whether that tire is rolling or sliding over the surface, it changes the ice. So Kurt has to adapt to those changing conditions to get the best numbers. It's very similar what we teach at the school – a driver has to adapt to the constantly changing conditions that the ice presents." After the acceleration/braking session, Spitzner and Kuykendall make their notes giving a 5-minute cool-down window for the brakes before beginning the final test – the road course. Spitzner makes three back-to-back laps around the winding, undulating .9-mile track while the computer records more data. He follows a very specific line to get the fastest BRIDGESTONE BLIZZAK W965 Bridgestone took on the challenge with its Blizzak W965, the company's newest "E"-rated commercial light-truck tire that also retails for about $250. Bridgestone says the Blizzak W965 with UNI-T studless light truck winter tires were developed to combine good snow and ice traction with commercial light-truck load-carrying capacity. On the outside, Blizzak W965 features what Bridgestone calls its "Tube Multicell" tread compound that combines microscopic pores and circumferential micro channels to help disperse the thin film of water that is generated when driving in snow and over ice. This compound is formed into a deep, independent-block tread design that employs zigzag sipes to provide multiple biting edges in the tread blocks to further enhance snow/ice traction without resorting to traditional metal studs. On the inside, the tread area is supported by three steel belts reinforced by spiral-wrapped nylon to provide a higher level of tire uniformity while maintaining its shape at highway speeds. Bridgestone Blizzak's W967 "E"-rated pickup tire uses a nondirectional, studless tread design and the zigzag sipes in each block aid traction on both snow and ice. "When I first got here this morning, I burned in a prescribed route that brushed all the snow off the course, so I was down to an ice [packed snow] surface before I took the control tire out," says Spitzner who has spent years testing winter tires at the school. "Then I make my laps with the control tire to get a feel for how the GMC handled. My goal here is consistency. I want to drive as close as I possibly can to the same line on each tire we're testing and to lay down the best time each tire will allow," he explains. Spitzner equates his driving style to the contractor who is running late for work, but not going to get in trouble if he's five minutes late. "I'm definitely trying not to invoke crash control, invoke ABS, or employ any advanced driving techniques to get the GMC around the course faster. My goal is to drive the vehicle based on the merit and essence of each tire; to be as quick and consistent as the tire will allow. Basically, I'm running laps at 8/10's speed instead of 10/10's lapping situation." The testing session started at 10:30 in the morning (after the snow stopped and the track was clean) and concluded at 4 p.m. The ambient temperature varied between 17 and 26 degrees with the coldest being in the afternoon. Our control tires were run at the start of the morning session, just before the mid-day break, at the start of the afternoon session and again at the end. Kuykendall factored in the control tire's test deviations accordingly so the data for each set of tires was adjusted for minor changes in track conditions – much like drag racers do when correcting times for changes in temperature and humidity.