PROVING GROUND - TEST TRACK

The Maxxis Proving Ground in Shanghai is a test track designed to test a variety of critical areas during the development stages of new tyres. The track is so well-equipped, in fact, that vehicle and other manufacturers also book test sessions to put their own products through their paces.

MAIN FEATURES

 HIGH SPEED TRACK

Total Length 4.5km. 3 lane banked section with 12m wide and 6m high curved ramp

• Designed for vehicles to maintain a speed of up to 230km/h (143mph) without decelerating on banked section
• High-performance tyres must be tested at speed

 GENERAL PERFORMANCE TEST COURSE

Total Length 1.2km at a width of 40m

• 40m width allows evaluation of high-speed lane changes and slalom handling.
• General Performance Test Course interconnects with the High-Speed Track to test handling at higher speeds

 BRAKE PERFORMANCE TEST COURSE

Total length 1.2km. Includes 200m of test area

• Friction coefficient of track surface in this area ranges from 0.2 to 0.8
• Low friction coefficient course simulates snow/ice conditions
• Also used for ABS performance tweaks

 ISO NOISE TEST COURSE

• Tests drive-by tyre noise
• Design of test course and pavement area complies with international standards

 NOISE VIBRATION AND HANDLING TEST COURSE

• Eight different road surface designs of varying structure, quality, waves and amplitudes
• Evaluates tyres and vehicle suspension systems’ ability to dampen and absorb noise and vibration
• Also features five different degrees of coarseness to evaluate noise spectrum from the tyre and vehicle at various frequencies

 WET HANDLING PERFORMANCE TEST COURSE

Total Length 1.4km

• Simulates wet conditions to test wet traction and water dispersal performance
• Water film depth can be adjusted up to 10mm to evaluate aquaplaning dynamics in longitudinal and transverse directions

 DRY HANDLING PERFORMANCE TEST COURSE

Total Length 2.5km

• Designed with corners of varying severity and camber for evaluation of comfort and grip
• Allows evaluation of tyre grip in corners at various speeds
• Tests for vehicle stability under dynamic handling maneuvers such as braking, cornering, acceleration and deceleration

 DRY SKID PAN

Radius 60m

• 6 different road surfaces with various friction coefficients
• Sprinkler systems automatically operated to produce uniform water film on pan surface
• State-of-the-art detection instruments are used to examine the stability of the tyre and vehicle in wet and slippery conditions

 WET SKID PAN

Radius 60m

• 6 different road surfaces with various friction coefficients
• Sprinkler systems automatically operated to produce uniform water film on pan surface
• State of the art detection instruments are used to examine the stability of tyre and vehicle in wet and slippery conditions

 GENERAL DURABILITY PERFORMANCE TEST COURSE

Radius 4600m at 7m wide

• Two tracks with nine different texture surfaces allow evaluation of tyre and vehicle suspension systems under the impact of harsh road surfaces, including steel road reinforcements and potholes

 HYDROPLANING TEST AREA

• Features a high-speed camera capable of 5000 exposures per second, installed in the road surface covered with tempered glass to visually examine water dispersal
• This is used to optimise tread pattern designs for proven significant water dispersal for improved wet-weather tyre performance

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Other Maxxis state-of-the-art R&D equipment includes the MTS Flat Trac III highway speed uniformity machines and acoustic booths equipped with STSF software for sound mapping and tyre noise reduction tests.