AKRON, Ohio — When the highly anticipated Chevrolet SSR roadster pickup hits the streets, it will be riding on Goodyear Eagle performance tires.
General Motors selected Goodyear to develop tires for the innovative specialty vehicle that goes into production in late 2002.
Goodyear engineers used computer modeling to develop super-wide Eagle RS-A performance tires in an accelerated program. "Think of it as tire development on steroids," says John Eagleburger, Goodyear team leader for the General Motors account.
They still are fine-tuning the tires that took less than six months to engineer, Eagleburger said. The massive asymmetric performance tires in P255/45R19 for the front and P295/40R20 for the rear will propel the V8- powered vehicle.
Jim Martell, Goodyear account executive for General Motors, said General Motors and Goodyear worked together from the beginning. "This was a major effort to develop a production tire so quickly for an all-new vehicle. "This exciting vehicle truly represents the engineering prowess of all involved," Martell said. "The Chevrolet SSR on these radical Eagle tires will roar."
Goodyear originally developed the concept tires — featuring Chevrolet's bow-tie icon in the tread pattern — for the SSR concept vehicle, first shown at Detroit's 2000 North American International Auto Show and later seen cruising the city's famous Woodward Avenue.