AKRON, Ohio, June 21 - Thanks to a soggy spring across much of the country and an intense summer hurricane forecast, Goodyear’s Aquatred 3 family car tire is splashing its way to new sales levels today on the first day of summer.

Aquatred 3 tires even are taking the normally arid West “by storm” as customers purchased 30 percent more tires in the last half of 2000 than they did of its predecessor in the previous three years combined.

Although actual sales figures are proprietary, Aquatred 3 sales are “above expectations,” according to Bob Toth, marketing manager for Goodyear consumer tires. “The tire is setting new levels in sales and performance for a premium level Goodyear passenger tire.”

The latest Aquatred also moved up in a customer survey of a nationally known mail-order business. Last year, The Tire Rack rated Aquatred 3 atop the all-season tire category, even without direct Goodyear tire sales to the mail-order on-line service.

The latest survey results are even more stellar, Toth said. An average of nine out of 10 respondents indicated they would buy the tire again. According to Goodyear loyalty statistics, nearly 65 percent of Aquatred owners replace their worn tires with new Aquatreds. The industry average for major tire brands is about 40 percent.

The Tire Rack survey rated Aquatred 3 superior to other tire brands in dry traction (9 points), wet traction (9.1), hydroplaning resistance (9.3), cornering stability (7.9), steering response (8) and treadwear (8.7). Aquatred 3 is backed by an 80,000-mile limited treadlife warranty.

Toth said he’s not surprised by The Tire Rack rankings. “Although we don’t sell Goodyear tires direct to the mail order business, we’re not surprised that their tire surveys focus attention on great product brands, such as Aquatred 3.”

Even Aquatred 3’s predecessor, Aquatred II, moved up in the ratings to sixth out of 27 tire names.

Although Aquatred 3 delivers much more than just wet traction,” Toth said, its popularity is benefitting from the frequent spring rains and a Colorado State University forecast calling for 12 named storms, seven hurricanes and three intense hurricanes.

Not surprisingly, Aquatred 3 sales are heaviest along the East Coast where the Atlantic hurricane season is most active. More than 38 percent of the tire’s U.S. sales come from the Eastern Region, Toth said.

William Gray, hurricane forecaster at CSU, estimated a 69 percent chance that one or more major hurricanes would make landfall along the U.S. coast this year. The past century’s average is 52 percent.

Toth said motorists should always be prepared for wet highways by regularly inspecting tread depth on their tires and by purchasing replacement tires that offer excellent wet traction. Aquatred 3 features a 10 percent wider footprint on the pavement than its predecessor, for improved wet and dry handling.

The new tire provides an 8 percent improvement in wet braking distance. At 45 mph, that’s nearly 13 feet shorter than its Aquatred II predecessor. Dry traction is improved by 6 percent.

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