The only point of contact between the road and you is tyre, and as most of the people are well aware of the role the tyre play in grip, also, many of them underestimate it, as well as overlooking the other areas they influence, such as, road noise, the quality of road and braking. Because tyres play such an important role in your daily driving, here’s a guide to help you understand the various types of tyres, which ones are best for you, and how to maintain them properly. Let’s start by selecting the appropriate tyre.
The criteria for distinguishing between the various types of available tyres are listed below. Engineers can now do a large portion of chassis development with ‘driver-in-the-loop’ (DIL) simulation, and advanced driving simulators have become an intrinsic part of car production. The tools they use, on the other hand, are a cut above the average gaming setup, going so far as to test different suspension settings, bush types, and so on before even building a physical prototype.
Aside from the obvious benefits of speed and cost savings for the manufacturer, there is also an environmental benefit, as thousands of test miles are cut across the industry, also declining the energy and emissions produced in manufacturing, and ultimately discarding prototypes entirely.
Classification of Tyres
- Construction- While tubeless tyres are now standard on most vehicles, tube tyres are still used on some. Most of the manufacturers have moved to the tubeless tyres as they are more discharge, less air, last longer, dependable, safer, and are less likely to puncture. So, if you’re in the market for new tyres, tubeless is the way to go, assuming the rim can accommodate one.
- Compound- For improved performance, efficiency, and life, tyre manufacturers use various compound mixes of natural and synthetic rubber, silica, and carbon black. A harder compound will typically last longer but provide less road grip and performance. As a result, when purchasing a tyre, read the description carefully and purchase a set based on your priorities.
- Weather- We typically use all-weather tyres in our climate, but in extremely cold areas, winter tyres are preferable. These tyres have a higher natural rubber content, which keeps them pliable in cold weather. The tread pattern will also aid in snow dispersal. In deep snow, however, it is best to use snow chains or special snow tyres with embedded metal studs.
Based on tread pattern
- Systematic Tread- Looking at the contact surface, these tyres have the same pattern on the inside and outside, they have lower rolling resistance, which increases efficiency, and they can be fitted without regard for the direction of travel.
- Asymmetric tyre- The tread patterns on the inside and outside of the tyre are different. The inside edge has water-dissipating treads, while the outer edge is designed for better cornering grip. They can be installed on either side of the vehicle, but always with the correct side facing out.
- Unidirectional tread- The ‘V’ tread pattern on these tyres aids in wet traction. They are also typically quieter when running. They must always be installed in the correct travel direction.
Also Read, RWD vs FWD vs AWD vs 4WD | Which Drivetrains should you Choose?
How to create a better tyre?
Tyre manufacturers are now following suit. Falken has also set up running a Fugaku supercomputer to improvise what it calls performance sustaining technology, which aims at avoiding a decline in the performance of tyres as the tyre ages and wears. Chemists and engineers can use computer simulation to assess what’s happening to the tyre at the chemical and molecular levels and then control those changes to keep the tyre performing like new for longer.
The latest Fugaku is one hundred times faster than its predecessor in number crunching, capable of 442 quadrillion (442 thousand million million) calculations per second. In comparison to the single CPU when compared to the average laptop or desktop, named after Mount Fuji, the Fugaku, has 1,58,976 CPUs. It is priorly being predicted that earthquakes, tornadoes, simulates tsunamis, evaluation of the effectiveness of masks in preventing the spread of COVID-19. It is being used in the automotive industry to develop fuel cells and batteries, as well as to reduce the amount of rare earth materials required in permanent magnet EV motors.
Continental will soon start using a Delta S3 DIL simulator from Norfolk-based Ansible Motion, just like the teams engineering the car’s mechanical and electronic systems. Every gamer dreams of S3, having a life-sized cabin that provides a whole complete immersive driving experience that is so realistic that even seasoned pros who use it feel like they are driving the real thing, according to Continental.
The S3 is a track-based vehicle that can move five metres in one direction and four metres in the opposite direction. It can accelerate and change direction quickly, simulating the effects of the crucial lane change manoeuvre, tight corners, different surfaces, long corners and a wide range of weather conditions.
The simulator can be programmed with the type of vehicle being tested as well as information about the compound, tread design, and construction of the tyre under test. The simulator will be installed at the Contidrom near Hanover, Germany, in 2022.
Also, Continental is now investigating the proper use of sustainable materials in its tyres, as it has the expectations that the simulator will help it to make the decisions about what works and what doesn’t work much faster in a virtual environment. Neither the Fugaku nor the Delta S3 are examples of manufacturers relying too heavily on digital technology, because their use is equally dependent on the skill and experience of the humans who use them. The goal of Continental is to deteriorate the number of test tyres that were built and worn out by 10,000 per year.
