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
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.