ETRTO, EC, GRBP and National Governments Tested Tire Abrasion Methodology

Last week, as part of the ongoing testing of the tyre abrasion methodology adopted by the UNECE Working Party on Noise and Tyres (GRBP), the DEKRA test centre hosted another two-day workshop on tyre abrasion.

Among the participants were representatives from: the European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation (ETRTO); GRBP; the European Commission’s Mobility Unit of the Directorate-General for the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW); the Technical Regulations and Vehicle Approval Office of the French General Directorate for Energy and Climate Change; and RDW, the Netherlands Vehicle Authority.

On the first day, DEKRA explained the implementation of the open road tyre abrasion methodology and the ISO 17025 accreditation process (including driver training).

The participants attended the procedures for preparing the vehicle for the test. They were allowed to measure the residual tread depth of the tyres personally, each obtaining different results, which showed that even this basic measurement needs specific training.

Subsequently, they were briefed on the management and progressive control of the open-road abrasion test and the composition of the convoy regarding the skills and experience required of drivers.

The following day, the test occurred on a mix of urban-like, regional and highway roads. The official convoy of four vehicles was followed by two guest vehicles driven by 2+3 different drivers. This allowed the participants to appreciate the complexity of the test and the importance of the driver’s ability to maintain the convoy and follow its guidelines.

At the end, a quick review of the speed/time graphs of the convoy and guest vehicles was conducted. The first review demonstrated the possibility of running a convoy test in real traffic and ensuring the same conditions for all cars in the convoy.

The participants could also appreciate how the same roads can be used by different customers to evaluate abrasion properties under specific driving conditions. For example, a driver could test high lateral acceleration for sports car manufacturers (80km/h – maximum legal allowed speed) vs. ‘normal’ driving conditions (60km/h) for the R117 abrasion procedure.

Tests on passenger car tyres (C1) will continue in the following months to collect abrasion data on tyres of different sizes, models and brands to allow the determination of tyre abrasion limits for inclusion in the UN Regulation 117 by September 2025.

The European tyre industry has invested significantly in this market assessment, and the UNECE tyre abrasion methodology will become the reference methodology of the Euro 7 proposal of the European Union.

Source: ETRMA