Goodyear at the Geneva auto show unveiled a new SUV tire concept that’s specifically crafted to deal with multiple types of terrain while improving fuel efficiency, CNET reports. The tire has two rings, each serving a different purpose — a main outer ring that takes up two-thirds of the tire’s width and is used for regular day-to-day driving on regular roads, and an inner one that takes up the rest and is used for off-road action.
The outer ring is slightly bigger in diameter than the inner one, and “has primarily a slick surface with cut-ins to move water and prevent hydroplaning,” but also different textured surfaces to enhance grip. The inner ring has “more aggressive cut-ins and pebbly surfaces” to improve traction in off-road driving conditions that involve making contact with softer surfaces including mud and sand.
The outer ring is narrower than a regular SUV tire in order to improve fuel efficiency, and, interestingly, both rings have their distinct air chamber, meaning that if one of them is punctured, the other ring will still have air, allowing the driver to keep driving the car.
It’s not clear whether this Goodyear tire will move past concept phase at this time. Speaking of concepts, a recent tire innovation from Nokian Tyres proposes drivers “the world’s first non-studded winter tire with studs,” a combination of a standard tire with a studded winter tire.
Images showing the Goodyear concept follow below.
