Goodyear’s Assurance line of tyres have been available in Malaysia since 2008 and the range has continued to broaden over the years. Naturally, each new tyre has had improvements for better efficiency, durability or grip.
With the latest Assurance MaxGuard, the focus is on safety which is provided by ActiveGrip Technology. Inspired by the tyremaker’s Eagle 360 concept tyre, the Assurance MaxGuard tyre has an innovative tread design with a ‘water-wave shield’ pattern, This pattern helps to increase friction and the optimised cavity shape increases the contact patch by 10% for better grip.
Both features contribute to better performance on wet roads – very useful in Malaysia – with shorter braking distances.
The tyre uses a new generation of full silica tread compound with 80% more silica, combined with a wet booster resin. This resin can adjust to the road roughness with more micro contact to achieve a stronger grip on the road, especially on wet surfaces.
Durability is also an important requirement for a tyre, especially in this region where there are good highways but also rough roads. To make the Assurance MaxGuard build stronger and tougher to withstand road impacts, the engineers drew on Goodyear’s DuraGuard Technology.
With the technology, they were able to optimise the compound materials and tyre construction, giving the Assurance MaxGuard an armour-like shield pattern for robustness. The durability is further enhanced by a 2-layer carcass ply with higher cord density and strength and 2 belts with high-tensile steel to cope with unexpected cuts and impacts.
In the past, tyres that could grip well did not necessarily last long as their compounds were softer., Today, with modern technologies that Goodyear has developed, motorists can get good grip as well as durability and good mileage.
Non-skid gauges have been increased by 10% (for a 205/55R16 size) to enhance wearable rubber volume, while high-performance polymer matrix composites are added in the new compound formation to provide good wear resistance.
For the Malaysian market, the new Assurance MaxGuard will be available in up to 18 sizes with speed ratings of HR, VR and WR. The recommended retail prices are from RM250 to RM485 and the tyre is suitable for a wide range of mid-sized sedans in the market.
As with other tyres purchased from authorised Goodyear dealers, customers can register for the Worry-Free Assurance Warranty which offers a warranty coverage for road hazard damage (1 year), and 5 years for manufacturing defects, as well as 2 free tyre safety checks (terms and conditions apply).
