This seems like such a no-brainer design, yet many modern tires still don't include any form of rim or wheel protection. A tire with this design feature will have a raised rib next to the bead to keep a wheel from scraping the curb -- even if a driver is too careless to handle this job on his own. After checking The Tire Rack web site I learned that while rim protection ribs are great for alloy wheels, they can make it nearly impossible to mount hubcaps. And since the majority of cars today still use hubcaps the majority of tires still don't feature this seemingly obvious feature...
But the Ford GT's Goodyear Eagle F1 tires do have this feature, and that's a very good thing. Yesterday I was trying to park it when I saw a cluster of busted glass right where I had pulled into a lot. I didn't want to drive over it, so I slowly backed up to go around the hazard. Then I felt that tale-tale resistance and realized the rear passenger wheel must have rubbed the curb. I eased forward and avoided the glass, but figured there was going to be a nasty scrape on my wheel. Then I got out and inspected the wheel closely, fearing what I'd find. Nada. The wheel was scratch free, and as soon as I looked at the tire it was obvious why.
Good going Goodyear!
Karl Brauer, Editor in Chief, Edmunds.com @ 7,440 miles
ahightower says:
12:05 PM, 02/ 5/07
That's cool. I bet it also helps keep tire dressing from dripping down onto the wheel.
desmolicious says:
01:18 PM, 02/ 5/07
In my best Homer Simpson voice:
"Mmmmm, tire dressing"
SubyTrojan says:
01:51 PM, 02/ 5/07
Karl > curb rash! :o)
I just got a set of Bridgestone Potenza RE-01Rs (225/45/17) put onto my wheels on Saturday at Stokes (Kelly recommended them to me as well as other local Impreza owners). They don't have any rib but the sidewalls are quite "meaty." They replaced a set of S-03 Pole Positions (no rib either) that I punished at The Streets of Willow Springs and Buttonwillow Raceway. My other set of stock 2006 WRX wheels are shod with Bridgestone Potenza RE92s (all-season tires equipped on many Subarus from the factory) with the small rib that definitely saved me once!
jerrywimer says:
06:09 AM, 02/ 6/07
Good point SubyTrojan. On many non-performance cars the tires' sidewall actually bulges enough that the sidewall itself performs the same function as that raised rib. Sadly, the more performance-oriented the tire and wheel combination, the less this holds true. So some low-profile tire and wheel combinations would definitely benefit from the same treatment these Goodyears provide.
thebigal says:
07:36 PM, 02/ 7/07
I think that the majority of tires probably don't have this rib, because as was pointed out, they make hubcabs very difficult to put on. They also make placing weights on the outside of the wheel a problem as well.
I would reckon that the majority of wheels out there are either A - steel wheels with hubcaps or B - alloy wheels designed to be balanced with wieghts on both sides of the rim. Therefor this protection strip would interfere with a lot of vehicles tire's and wheels.
I would howver imagine that performace tires such as the Eagle F1 are probably being mounted on specialty alloy wheels that are niether designed for hubcaps or wieghts on the outside of the rim, but rather sticky wieghts mounted to just inside the wheel spokes and the inside rim lip. Therefore the issue of this protection strip getting in the way, is no longer an issue with this type of wheel....