Now I'm testing the Assurance TripleTred
11-04-2009, 04:43 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 08-29-2007
Location: CenCoast California
Posts: 256
Now I'm testing the Assurance TripleTred
This is the first installment of the second tire test I'm doing with my HHR. Regulars to this site interested in tires may remember my posts about the Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season. Details are at:https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/tires-wheels-49/i-tried-new-goodyear-f1-all-season-10290/ but the executive summary is: the F1 AS is a good choice, if you want an ultra-performance radial tire with an "all-season" rating to fit HHRs with the uplevel, 17-in. wheels.
While some HHR owners drive their trucks hard and want an ultra-performance radial for its handing performance, there are many others who are not aggressive drivers or racers. Those people may want a tire with good everyday driving characteristics, a long tread life warranty, maybe a little less tire noise and a performance envelope which extends a little more into bad weather driving. In addition, there are HHR owners with the base, 16-in wheels who can't get tires like the F1 AS, because it's not made in 16-in sizes, but want a replacement tire that's a significant improvement over an original equipment tire. After considering those issues, for my second tire test, I decided to test Goodyear's high-end replacement tire, the "Assurance featuring TripleTred Technology".
While, at quick glance, the TripleTred and the F1 All Season may look similar, they are different tires aimed at two different markets, broad market replacement (TripleTred) and ultra-high-performance (F1 AS).
An engineering difference between the two is construction and materials. The F1 AS has carbon-fiber reinforcements in the sidewalls to stiffen the casing and provide the crisp handing, aggressive drivers demand. The TripleTred doesn't use "CF" because of the cost and in the interest of having a slightly more compliant sidewall for better ride and less noise.
Additionally, while the TripleTred does have its so called "Dry Zone," two areas on the outside edges of the tread which are reinforced so you can maneuver confidently on dry pavement, Assurance doesn't need the F1 AS's Tredlock technology intended to enhance tire performance when the tire is driven very hard, near the its handing limit on dry roads.
The F1 AS has more shallow tread depth to reduce tread squirm and flexing during aggressive driving. The TripleTred has more tread depth, both to increase tread life and to provide better grip in stormy driving conditions.
The Assurance TripleTred also has an "Ice Zone" in the center of the tread which has interlocking tread blocks designed to extend the tire's performance in snow- or ice-covered roads. What's cool about the Ice Zone thing is that, when I contacted Jim Davis, Goodyear's spokesperson, he told me that volcanic sand is used in the rubber compound to create a rough surface on that part of the tread. The volcanic sand is added to the tire as ground pumice which creates a constantly rough and textured surface, sort of like sandpaper, which provides better grip on ice. As the tire wears, the volcanic “grit” falls out of the rubber leaving microscopic cavities that work as tiny traction edges for additional grip on slick surfaces. The volcanic sand in the TripleTred's winter-formulated compound is complemented by the use of glass fibers. The tiny fibers are designed to create a pitted surface in the tread which adds to the grit's effectiveness.
The third of these zones is the "Water Zone" which has deep, "Aquachannel" tread grooves, an idea Goodyear pioneered back in 1992 with the introduction of its famed "Aquatread." As the tire rolls, these grooves force water out of the tread and away from the tire. The "Blimp Guys" are so into this "zone thing" they named the tire for its three zones.
Another technical aspect of this tire which I like is that it's made with Goodyear's "PermaBlack" feature, a compound additive which helps maintain new-tire appearance throughout the life of the product. Finally, each Assurance tire is hand-inspected at the factory and screened to ensure product uniformity and quality.
Besides all the techie stuff, there are some customer service benefits which come with this tire. Goodyear calls them the "Driver Assurance Package". It includes: 80,000-mile treadlife limited warranty, 30-day no-obligation trial period, a roadside assistance program, on-line product registration and an available tire rotation reminder service. I'm not too interested in the last two, but the 80,000-mile warranty is a definite plus and the 30-day trial is a pretty neat idea. The benefits of a roadside assistance program, which lasts two years after the tire purchase and is available 24/7 in the U.S. and Canada, are obvious.
I had a set of TripleTreds installed by Goodyear dealer Tucker Tire Service Company in Covina, California. Tucker has done all my tire work many years and the reason I stick with them is their extensive knowledge of tires and their great customer support. Tom Tucker knows the tire business backwards and forwards. In addition to the tire installation, I also had Tucker align my front suspension as it was out of adjustment. I had them set the alignment at -1.0° camber and 1/32-in toe in.
This test of the TripleTred is a work-in-progress and I'll be reporting about it here on the HHR Network every so often. What have I noted so far? Well, after about 1800 miles with these tires on our HHR, my Wife, the Fairest Sandra the Red, who drives the truck most, and I have detected a slight decrease in road noise and a slight decrease in harshness compared with the F1 AS. Steering response seems about the same as before.
A characteristic I haven't had a chance to evaluate yet is the TrpleTred's behavior in wet weather, but now that Fall has really set-in and an "El Nino" winter is predicted for Southern California, I suspect it won't be too long before I get to do that.
While some HHR owners drive their trucks hard and want an ultra-performance radial for its handing performance, there are many others who are not aggressive drivers or racers. Those people may want a tire with good everyday driving characteristics, a long tread life warranty, maybe a little less tire noise and a performance envelope which extends a little more into bad weather driving. In addition, there are HHR owners with the base, 16-in wheels who can't get tires like the F1 AS, because it's not made in 16-in sizes, but want a replacement tire that's a significant improvement over an original equipment tire. After considering those issues, for my second tire test, I decided to test Goodyear's high-end replacement tire, the "Assurance featuring TripleTred Technology".
While, at quick glance, the TripleTred and the F1 All Season may look similar, they are different tires aimed at two different markets, broad market replacement (TripleTred) and ultra-high-performance (F1 AS).
An engineering difference between the two is construction and materials. The F1 AS has carbon-fiber reinforcements in the sidewalls to stiffen the casing and provide the crisp handing, aggressive drivers demand. The TripleTred doesn't use "CF" because of the cost and in the interest of having a slightly more compliant sidewall for better ride and less noise.
Additionally, while the TripleTred does have its so called "Dry Zone," two areas on the outside edges of the tread which are reinforced so you can maneuver confidently on dry pavement, Assurance doesn't need the F1 AS's Tredlock technology intended to enhance tire performance when the tire is driven very hard, near the its handing limit on dry roads.
The F1 AS has more shallow tread depth to reduce tread squirm and flexing during aggressive driving. The TripleTred has more tread depth, both to increase tread life and to provide better grip in stormy driving conditions.
The Assurance TripleTred also has an "Ice Zone" in the center of the tread which has interlocking tread blocks designed to extend the tire's performance in snow- or ice-covered roads. What's cool about the Ice Zone thing is that, when I contacted Jim Davis, Goodyear's spokesperson, he told me that volcanic sand is used in the rubber compound to create a rough surface on that part of the tread. The volcanic sand is added to the tire as ground pumice which creates a constantly rough and textured surface, sort of like sandpaper, which provides better grip on ice. As the tire wears, the volcanic “grit” falls out of the rubber leaving microscopic cavities that work as tiny traction edges for additional grip on slick surfaces. The volcanic sand in the TripleTred's winter-formulated compound is complemented by the use of glass fibers. The tiny fibers are designed to create a pitted surface in the tread which adds to the grit's effectiveness.
The third of these zones is the "Water Zone" which has deep, "Aquachannel" tread grooves, an idea Goodyear pioneered back in 1992 with the introduction of its famed "Aquatread." As the tire rolls, these grooves force water out of the tread and away from the tire. The "Blimp Guys" are so into this "zone thing" they named the tire for its three zones.
Another technical aspect of this tire which I like is that it's made with Goodyear's "PermaBlack" feature, a compound additive which helps maintain new-tire appearance throughout the life of the product. Finally, each Assurance tire is hand-inspected at the factory and screened to ensure product uniformity and quality.
Besides all the techie stuff, there are some customer service benefits which come with this tire. Goodyear calls them the "Driver Assurance Package". It includes: 80,000-mile treadlife limited warranty, 30-day no-obligation trial period, a roadside assistance program, on-line product registration and an available tire rotation reminder service. I'm not too interested in the last two, but the 80,000-mile warranty is a definite plus and the 30-day trial is a pretty neat idea. The benefits of a roadside assistance program, which lasts two years after the tire purchase and is available 24/7 in the U.S. and Canada, are obvious.
I had a set of TripleTreds installed by Goodyear dealer Tucker Tire Service Company in Covina, California. Tucker has done all my tire work many years and the reason I stick with them is their extensive knowledge of tires and their great customer support. Tom Tucker knows the tire business backwards and forwards. In addition to the tire installation, I also had Tucker align my front suspension as it was out of adjustment. I had them set the alignment at -1.0° camber and 1/32-in toe in.
This test of the TripleTred is a work-in-progress and I'll be reporting about it here on the HHR Network every so often. What have I noted so far? Well, after about 1800 miles with these tires on our HHR, my Wife, the Fairest Sandra the Red, who drives the truck most, and I have detected a slight decrease in road noise and a slight decrease in harshness compared with the F1 AS. Steering response seems about the same as before.
A characteristic I haven't had a chance to evaluate yet is the TrpleTred's behavior in wet weather, but now that Fall has really set-in and an "El Nino" winter is predicted for Southern California, I suspect it won't be too long before I get to do that.
11-04-2009, 08:40 PM
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: 01-13-2006
Location: Superior, WI - Over the Hill Warranty Club member
Posts: 2,999
Mine ran around $520 for the set with balancing and road hazzard for the four tires. Yes they are a noisy tire but they have really good grip.
$118 each at the tire rack.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...ting=S&tab=All
$118 each at the tire rack.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...ting=S&tab=All
11-04-2009, 10:43 PM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: 07-13-2008
Location: Buffalo, NY
Posts: 480
Looks like a good replacement tire for my factory considering my SS gets very limited winter use but would be nice if she could go! 18's offered? I don't like the wet traction my factory skins offer.
JIM
JIM
11-04-2009, 11:08 PM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: 02-09-2009
Location: Downtown Saint Petersburg, Florida
Posts: 3,169
Noisy tires or noisy car? Put the same tires on a Cadillac and no noise. I agree that the combination of the tire and the HHR might lend to a little road noise but that's more car than tire. Some cars magnify road sounds more than others.
11-05-2009, 07:09 AM
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: 04-17-2009
Location: PA
Posts: 251
Mine ran around $520 for the set with balancing and road hazzard for the four tires. Yes they are a noisy tire but they have really good grip.
$118 each at the tire rack.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...ting=S&tab=All
$118 each at the tire rack.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...ting=S&tab=All
I priced them locally at a Goodyear franchise, $997 installed (after rebate)-I did not get them. The TR price is very good.
