Expanded US Conti test site provides increased tyre testing options
Continental Tire The Americas has inaugurated a new wet and dry test surface at its providing ground in Uvalde, Texas. Work on the US$3.5 million Vehicle Dynamics Area began last September and construction work involved transporting more than 88,000 tonnes of material and over 700 truckloads of rock to the site; the end result is a 640,000 square foot (60,000 square metre) area that provides several test options to simulate real-world driving sceneries, safely allowing for tyre and vehicle stability tests at the “limit.” The track surface is intended to reflect the average asphalt surfaces motorists encounter while simultaneously allowing a high degree of differentiation between different tyres. The irrigation system installed for wet testing uniformly distributes water across the surface’s entire width and is adjustable from 1.3 to 2.8mm.