Virtual Tire Design/Assessment in the Early Vehicle Development Process

The choice of the optimal tire setup for a given vehicle is not a trivial task. Nowadays car manufacturers often collaborate with the tire manufacturers during the development phase of new vehicles in order to improve the quality of their final products. At the beginning of a new development project, vehicle engineers define the so called vehicle key performance indicators (KPIs) and respective targets that the vehicle has to achieve. Regarding tires, the most crucial point is to answer the following key questions: