You may already know that the 17″ rolling stock on the Chevy Cruze ECO isn’t just your average run-of-the-mill wheels and tires. In fact, the ECO’s wheels cut 20 pounds (9 kilos) from the Delta II-based compact’s curb weight when compared to the wheels on non-ECO Cruzen. Just as unique as the ECO’s wheels, however, are its tires.
The special rubber wrapping the ECO’s featherweight wheels is responsible for a 3 mile-per-gallon improvement in fuel economy compared to regular tires. What’s more, these tires have excellent braking traction, a great cornering coefficient, and are fantastic in snow — qualities that low rolling-resistance tires typically aren’t known for.
Perhaps the take-away from the video is the fact that Chuck Lantz — Tire Development Engineer at General Motors — has worked at a large tire company for 23 years and collaborated closely with major automotive manufacturers before coming to the General. According to Lantz, who has now been with GM for 3 years, his new employer knows more about tires than any other OEM…and that’s worthy of some serious bragging rights. What’s more, what other automaker do you know of that has a full-time tire engineer at their disposal? This, ladies and gents, is competitive advantage incarnate.
Be sure to watch the video of Lantz showing off this capable yet economical tire.
No Comments yet