New tire innovation pays dividends to waste haulers

Goodyear introduced DuraSeal Technology, which brought the words “puncture sealant” [tire] to the attention of fleet managers around the country.

“We understood a sealant’s potential benefits – longer tire life and more constant tire inflation pressures – and it kept the wheels of creativity spinning at Goodyear,” said Donn Kramer, director of marketing for Goodyear commercial tire systems. “After years of research, we were able to create a gel-like, solvent-free compound and built it into the inner liner of the tire.”

With that, Goodyear launched DuraSeal Technology that consistently and instantly seals punctures up to .25” in diameter in the repairable area of the tread. It does not seal sidewall punctures. When a nail puncture occurs, DuraSeal Technology’s yellow, gel-like rubber compound instantly surrounds the nail and seals the tread puncture. Built into the crown of the tire, the sealant helps protect the part of the tire where punctures most often occur.

To keep total cost of ownership low, tires with DuraSeal Technology can be retreaded. “Because DuraSeal is in the inner liner, there is no impact on the retreading process,” said Kramer. “This is a huge advantage for waste haulers using our G289 WHA with DuraSeal, because a retreaded tire can cost considerably less than a new tire. Multiplied by additional retreads on that casing, it really aids in driving down costs.

“Through DuraSeal, we also eliminate the costs associated with aftermarket sealants – the cost of initial application, the cost of cleaning out old sealant and re-applying new sealant, as well as the cost of disposal,” continued Kramer. “Plus, there’s no mess, wheel cleaning or need to find the right retreader. And, no downtime for most tire repairs.

DuraSeal Technology was first introduced on Goodyear’s line of commercial mixed-service tires, many of which went into use in transfer dump and construction applications. This year, the expansion has continued to include the G289 WHA tire for front- and rear-loading waste haulers.

Goodyear conducted surveys, which revealed, among other things, that refuse fleets with 50 trucks typically had 102 tire-related service calls per month. It found that 69 percent of those calls can be attributed to tire punctures and each call cost the fleets an average of $170, or more than $143,000 per year. The survey demonstrated a need for a sealant tire among commercial users, such as waste haulers.