Determination of optimal rim and tire dimensions regarding load capacity, driving dynamics, and efficiency

Tire development based on functional tire characteristics (FTC) makes it possible to objectify target values across all topics and thus contributes to a clear target agreement between tire and vehicle manufacturers. Developmental tires can be evaluated on the basis of test bench measurements, thereby decreasing development duration and financial costs. A major challenge is the ongoing tightening of conflicting targets as a result of legal and customer-related requirements. Depending on the rim and tire dimensions the characterization of these conflicting targets can be different. Therefore, when defining a tire portfolio in the early development phase, methods are required to allow an evaluation of the feasibility based on objective correlations. In this paper a method for determining the optimal rim and tire dimensions by considering the respective requirements is presented. First of all, the effects of the tire dimension on individual FTC concerning load capacity, driving dynamics and efficiency are quantified using regression models. Next, the FTC of different dimension configurations are estimated on the basis of a Monte Carlo sampling. Finally solution spaces of optimal dimension ranges are shown graphically.