Goodyear develops bespoke OE tyre for Audi A5

Goodyear and Audi have collaborated to develop bespoke original equipment (OE) fitments for the new Audi A5 and S5, including an innovative virtually developed Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 tyre.

The tyre model has been designed using multiple virtual simulation assessments.

Goodyear has supplied tyres for many Audi models, including the Q6 e-tron, e-tron GT quattro and RS e-tron GT. The new collaboration as the primary tyre supplier for the Audi A5 and S5 marks the beginning of the next chapter in the partnership between the two brands.

Goodyear tyres, including the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6, Eagle F1 SuperSport and UltraGrip Performance 3, deliver fitments for Ultra High Performance, Ultra Ultra High Performance and winter driving applications, with varied focuses from low rolling resistance to excellent braking to meet the driver’s needs and preferences.

These tyres have 10 fitments that will cover the new A5 and S5 range in both saloon and Avant estate variants.

When developing an OE tyre for a performance car, subjective driver feedback is a crucial parameter that previously could only be measured with real-world track testing. Goodyear claims it is leading the way with the use of virtual development to get efficient and versatile feedback from test drivers who know the performance characteristics that premium performance car drivers demand.

One of the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 fitments was developed using Goodyear’s Simulation Centre at its facility in Luxembourg. Opened last year, the driving simulator allows Goodyear’s R&D team to develop OE tyres virtually, testing and validating tyre models more quickly and by saving resources, to reach first approval from the OEM with fewer physical tyre models.

The Simulation Centre opening in Luxembourg followed the launch of the inaugural centre in Akron, Ohio – and allows Goodyear to have a global approach to tyre development.

In all, the process of creating this virtually developed tyre took 10 months and met Goodyear’s goal of achieving first approval by Audi on its first physical iteration, which was produced after two virtual development cycles to assess handling, mileage performance and noise.

According to Goodyear’s calculations, developing just one physical iteration has the potential to save thousands of physical tyres and thousands of kilometres of physical tyre testing.