This was a unique road tyre introduced by Goodyear in Malaysia in the early 1990s. At a glance, it looked like two motorcycle tyres joined together to form a wider tyre. However, it was because the tyre was designed in such a way to create a deep groove in the middle which gave the impression of two tyres.
The idea of having the distinct groove, called an Aquachannel, was to achieve more effective removal of water from under the tyre. The faster water could be dispersed, the better the tyre would grip on wet roads, reducing the frightening condition known as aquaplaning. This condition occurs when the water under the tyre ‘lifts’ the tread off the road so it is no longer in direct contact. As a result, grip is lost and the car won’t be able to stop when brakes are applied. Steering control is also lost, so the driver won’t be able to steer to avoid an obstacle.
The Aquatred was certainly unique and won many awards for its innovative design. It evolved during the 1990s and continued into the 2000s. Eventually, even in America, the Aquatred’s existence ended as new tyres had more advanced technologies and materials and offered performance that could match or exceed the Aquatred’s.
Court case in Malaysia
It didn’t impress motorists in Malaysia as much so its time in the market wasn’t long. However, there was an interesting court case where Goodyear took legal action against a local tyremaker for coming out with what it alleged was a direct copy of the Aquatred.
The company was Silverstone Tire & Rubber Co. Sdn Bhd and it had come out with a product called Aquagrip in 1993 which had a similar unique appearance as the Goodyear tyre. Goodyear accused Silverstone of having reverse-engineered the Aquatred design for its tyre.
The High Court in Malaysia dismissed the application on the grounds that the copyright law did not apply in this case, nor that the style of the tyre was unique to Goodyear. The court also noted that if the injunction was granted, Goodyear would then have an unfair monopoly in the market for the ‘aqua’ design tyres.
Anyway, the Aquagrip tyres didn’t stay long in the market as well, and Silverstone, which had been established in 1986, was later acquired by Toyo Tire of Japan.
