The Yokohama Rubber Co. expanded its Tire Test Center of Asia, the company’s comprehensive tire proving ground in Thailand’s Rayong Province.
The expansion adds four new test courses: A 2.5-kilometer dry-test course; 1.5-kilometer wet-test course for handling tests; a ski pad; and a corner hydroplaning test road. The two handling test courses enable the testing of overall tire performance and compatibility with vehicles under dry and wet road conditions, while the skid pad is used for testing tire grip performance on wet roads, the company said. The corner hydroplaning road is used to test overall water drainage performance of the tire and its tread pattern.
Expansion of the Thai proving ground allows Yokohama Rubber to conduct complete tests of its tires’ handling and vibration performance.
The Tire Test Center of Asia opened in April 2009, and was initially equipped with a 4.1-kilometer high-speed track with a 1-kilometer straightaway, a multipurpose track, a rough road course and a 4.2-kilometer course that recreates common road conditions in Asia.