Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD

Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD

Get unlimited access to 9,500+ magazines, newspapers and Premium stories for just

$149.99
 
$74.99/Year

Try GOLD - Free

Tyre Of The Future

Auto Express

|

April 19, 2017

We travel to Goodyear HQ in Luxembourg to see the radical rubber innovations on the way for the cars of tomorrow.

- Joe Finnerty

Tyre Of The Future

A BEAT-UP old diesel hatchback and a gleaming, showroom-fresh hybrid supercar. These two vehicles are worlds apart in performance, quality and price, yet they have one thing in common: tyres.

These four rubber rings represent your only, palm-sized contact with the surface upon which you’re driving, and no matter how good your car, if your tyres aren’t up to scratch, you’re running the risk of having a serious accident. Low pressures, barely legal tread depths and cheap rubber are all issues faced by motorists, although the addition of tyre pressure-monitoring systems (TPMS), which were made mandatory from 2012, has helped to improve safety.

However, that still hasn’t cured all tyre problems completely, and rubber defects rank as one of the biggest reasons for MoT failure in the UK. Despite the lack of attention afforded by drivers, tyre companies are ploughing millions into research and development to make them perform to their peak. So what has this achieved, and what will the future hold? With every part of a car becoming more connected, why not tyres, too? Perhaps we really could see someone reinvent the wheel.

To find out about the tyre revolution, Auto Express headed to Goodyear’s headquarters in Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg. It’s more than just a factory; it’s more like Goodyear city, with 3,000 employees representing more than 50 nationalities – that’s 15 per cent of the company’s global workforce, with the rest based in the USA, Germany and, since 2015, China.

MORE STORIES FROM Auto Express

Auto Express

MIKE RUTHERFORD

BRITAIN owes Nissan of Japan a long-overdue thank you - for being the largest car producer we have in the UK.

time to read

2 mins

September 17, 2025

Auto Express

Auto Express

£100,000k for a Range Rover, BMW 8 Series and Jaguar XK

For the price of a brand-new Mercedes S-Class limo, you can have a luxurious SUV, an elegant saloon and a timeless sports car sitting on your driveway

time to read

2 mins

September 17, 2025

Auto Express

Auto Express

Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport

FIRST DRIVE We find out if it's worth splashing out £2.3k extra for latest uprated version of Volkswagen's legendary hot hatch

time to read

3 mins

September 17, 2025

Auto Express

Auto Express

Honda Civic

FIRST DRIVE We find out how the refreshed version of Japanese brand's long-running family hatchback shapes up against rivals

time to read

5 mins

September 17, 2025

Auto Express

Auto Express

ID.4 REBORNAS ID. TIGUAN

Heavy update for VW EV will bring with it a fresh, but familar name

time to read

4 mins

September 17, 2025

Auto Express

BUYING CARS

EARLIER this year my colleague Tom Jervis quite rightly pointed out that car wheels are simply getting too big, which is somewhat consistent with another wheel that car makers seemingly can’t stop fiddling with: the steering wheel.

time to read

1 mins

September 17, 2025

Auto Express

Auto Express

RENAULT 5

Our retro Renault's star is still shining wonderfully bright

time to read

3 mins

September 17, 2025

Auto Express

Auto Express

GWM Poer300

FIRST DRIVE Diesel-only Chinese pick-up aims to woo buyers with its pricing, practicality and strong list of standard equipment

time to read

3 mins

September 17, 2025

Auto Express

Auto Express

Iconic Testarossa nameplate returns

Ferrari brings back badge for 1,035bhp plug-in hybrid 849 Berlinetta and Spider

time to read

3 mins

September 17, 2025

Auto Express

TESTED Fabric spot cleaners

From £99.99: Spot cleaners are ideal for tackling bigger messes than a cloth can cope with, but which of these two should you invest in?

time to read

1 min

September 17, 2025

Translate

Share

-
+

Change font size