A Study of Tire Handling and Ride Performance Map according to Tire Tread Wear State

The electric vehicle market is expected to grow further within the automotive industry, driven by the increasing computing power of vehicle ECUs and the advancement of SDV(Software Defined Vehicle) systems. The results of these advanced and expanded vehicle technologies will offer customers higher quality and increased productivity in the market. A practical application of this technology is tire wear prediction algorithms. Tire wear prediction algorithms can inform customers of the optimal time to change tires while also allowing chassis control systems and other ADAS systems to adjust to varying tire performance as wear conditions change. This trend is growing, prompting several automakers to invest in developing these advanced technologies to enhance their product quality and safety. Therefore, it is essential to understand how vehicle handling and ride performances can change in response to varying tire wear conditions to evaluate the effectiveness of tire wear algorithms. This study aimed to analyze the handling, braking and ride comfort characteristics of a tire in relation to tread depth changes on dry road surfaces. First, tire tread profiles of front and rear wheels were analyzed based on the tread depth of worn tires collected from vehicles driven on the road. The handling, braking and ride comfort characteristics of both new and worn tires were then measured and analyzed using various indoor tire test rigs such as Static stiffness test, Cleat Impact Drum test, Handling Flat track test. Finally, vehicle dynamic simulations and subjective evaluations were conducted to understand how vehicle performance varies with different tire wear conditions. This research provides fundamental knowledge on how tire wear conditions affect both tire performance and vehicle performance.