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All-Terrain
Adventure Tires with Kevlar
Review of
Goodyear Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure Tires with Kevlar
by Jason Fogelson
Not all tires are created equally.
Case in point, the Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure tire
from Goodyear Tire & Rubber with Kevlar are a great choice
for drivers who spend most of their time on the pavement but want to have the
right set of tires for occasional off-road use, with minimal sacrifice in
comfort, durability, and capability.
The Wrangler name is a familiar one — it's been emblazoned
on various Goodyear tires since at least 1991 according to the Goodyear website, but the big innovation in this all-new
version is the addition of Kevlar, which is the trade name for an aramid fiber
manufactured by the DuPont company.
Kevlar is meant to be five times stronger than steel on an
equal-weight basis, which means it is extraordinarily strong for its weight and
is actually used in the process of making bulletproof armor.
Since Goodyear currently has the exclusive license to use
the name "Kevlar" in connection with passenger car tires, the
Goodyear Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure tires are some of the best on the
market.
Lighter, Stronger, and More
Puncture-Resistant
Wrangler is built much like any other steel-belted radial
tire, except a layer of Kevlar replaces the usual layer of nylon cord.
Starting from the outside, there's the tread, then a layer
of Kevlar (one layer for standard load tires, and two layers on the Light Truck
or "Pro Grade" version), then two steel belts.
Replacing the nylon layer with Kevlar results in a tire
that's lighter, stronger and more puncture-resistant than before, and
durability is also improved, which allows Goodyear to include a 60,000-mile
tread life limited warranty on the new tire.
The new Wrangler also gets a new tread pattern that is
appropriate for four seasons in most sizes, and even wins the treasured "mountain-snowflake" emblem that signifies approval for
winter driving.
The tread is designed to grip on loose surfaces and
includes open shoulder blocks and special ridges deep in the tire grooves that
are said to shed dirt and snow as
the tire rolls, making them "self-cleaning" during operation.
Wrangler also benefits from Goodyear's "Durawall
Technology," which imparts strength and cut resistance to the sidewalls,
in excess of normal street tire specs.
This additional toughness will be especially welcome for
SUV drivers who spend time on rocky terrain, as the sidewalls are a
particularly vulnerable part of the tire during off-roading, even at low
speeds.
A Personal Story of Testing On and
Off-Pavement
I got to drive a 2013 Chevrolet Suburban equipped with a
set of Wrangler tires during a recent trip to Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Goodyear brought a group of automotive
journalists and tire retailers to the mountain town in order to experience
the adventure aspect of the new Wrangler.
I drove on city streets, highways and curvy paved roads,
fully expecting a noisy ride from the assertive tires.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Wranglers were
as smooth and quiet as most other on-road tires I've driven on recently, and
the sense of grip and confidence was up there with the best.
Then it was time for a little bit of light off-roading — actually,
more like dirt-roading than genuine off-roading.
Still, the Wranglers impressed, riding across dirt and
light mud with little drama at all; the Durawall Technology seems to work well,
imparting great road feel to the steering wheel without stiffening up the ride
beyond comfort levels.
A final test came in a short autocross in a big (empty)
parking lot. Goodyear set up a short tight autocross route, delineated with
orange cones, and brought out a water truck to wet a few of the corners for us.
They spooned a set of Wranglers on two white Ram 1500
pickup trucks, and a set of competitor's tires on two black Rams, and then let
us drive them back-to-back.
The Wrangler-shod Rams greatly outperformed the
competitor-equipped Rams in the wet stuff, keeping their footing even under
heavy acceleration during corner maneuvers.
I killed a few cones in the competitor tire vehicles, even
when trying to maintain a sane speed through the curvy portions of the
autocross.
The most significant advantage that I felt in the Wrangler
was in the hundred yards or so after the water obstacle.
The Wrangler instantly shed the water from its grooves and
performed beautifully. The competitor slid out in the first curve after the
water hazard, seemingly retaining water later through the drive.
The autocross ended with a controlled stop, slamming on
the brakes to full and allowing the ABS system to bring the truck to a halt.
I noticed a slight advantage for the Wrangler in this test
as well, though not as significant as the wet surface test revealed.
Conclusions and recommendation
It's very difficult to evaluate a new tire, but the
Goodyear Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure with Kevlar is a solid innovation in
tire technology.
The advantages of a Kevlar layer (or two) are obvious, and
the performance of
the Durawall Technology and new tread pattern were demonstrated well enough to
impress.
Drivers will be especially pleased with the quiet,
confident on-road performance of the Wrangler since that's where most of us
spend 90% or more of our time driving.
And even though it has nothing at all to do with
performance, the beefy Wranglers were pretty good-looking tires, too — especially
with the raised white lettering exposed to the outside.
Goodyear is a premium tire brand, and Wranglers
look the part.
There may be more appropriate tire choices for serious
rock crawling and specialty off-roading, but those tires are difficult to live
with on a day-to-day basis.
However, the new Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure with
Kevlar tires are great for everyday use on your SUV, especially with its
60,000-mile tread wear warranty. See the Manufacturer's Site to
find a local dealer for your replacement Wrangler tires today!
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