Goodyear D2747 at Pomona

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Lee Elder

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Goodyear’s new drag racing tire easy adjustment for NHRA teams

            POMONA, Calif. (Feb. 14, 2016) – Goodyear’s new D2747 drive tire for National Hot Rod Association Top Fuel and Funny Car teams made its competitive debut this weekend at the Circle K Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway.

            The Top Fuel and Funny Car teams include the most powerful cars in the world of racing and put tremendous demands on their tires, routinely accelerating from a standing start to speeds above 300 mph in less than 1,000 feet. For that reason, changes to the rear drive tires usually force teams to work hard to adjust to the new component.

            Not this time.

            “I see no difference in the new tire,” said Funny Car driver Tim Wilkerson. “I used it (Friday).” Wilkerson said he also used the new tire during the preseason test at Phoenix.

            Steve Torrence won in Top Fuel on the D2747. Ron Capps won in Funny Car on the tire supplied by Goodyear through 2015, the D2681.

            The D2747 is the same size as the previous TF/FC tire but the new tire has minor construction changes and a new tread compound. The differences between the tires are so incrementally small that the NHRA is allowing teams to choose between the tires through the first quarter of the season.

            “The teams can use up their inventory of tires left over from last year,” said Goodyear’s Bryce Jones. “The D2747 introduces new materials but we designed it to have the same performance characteristics that the teams are accustomed to. That’s what we’ve seen in pre-season testing and the first two days here at Pomona.”

            The D2747 stands 36 inches tall and measures 17.5 inches across the tread face. It stretches 115 all the way around the tread. To put that in context, a Top Fuel dragster measures 300 inches long. The tire mounts on a 16-inch wheel. Goodyear’s D2H tread compound is the part of the tire that grips the racing surface.

            “This is a robust tire,” Jones said. “In the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes, the Goodyear engineers are continuously looking to improve the tire for the class.  The D2747 incorporates incremental changes aimed incorporating the latest technological and material improvements. The engineers' goal was to keep the performance of the tire equal to the outgoing D2681.  The success of the introduction is evidenced by both tires performing this weekend without any noticeable difference.  This tire is about incrementally improving and always making Goodyear tires better.”   

The Winternationals continue through Sunday.

            Goodyear employs about 69,000 people at manufacturing plants and facilities in 22 nations. Based in Akron, Ohio, Goodyear is among the largest tiremakers in the world and is the worldwide leader in race tire innovation.