Tires and Handling (Progress in Technology)

By Ellis Johnson and Society of Automotive Engineers

We are just completing the first century of motorized surface transportation using internal combustion engines. When we compare the sleek sports cars and elegant sleeper-cab tractors of today to the vehicles built by the Duryea, Benz, et al, of the late nineteenth century, the most striking similarity is the one component that connects the vehicle to the ground while still providing isolation from it. The tires are probably the one component experiencing the least visually apparent change in the last 100 years. Consider the changes in the demands on the tire in that period of time. Speeds have increased from a few kilometers per hour to vehicle capabilities near 300kph Similarly, loads have increased from a few hundred kilograms to over 5,000 kg per tire in some instances. Treadlife, casing endurance, traction, rolling resistance, comfort, handling and noise generation have all benefited from equally amazing technological advances as well, so that this air-filled rubber covered tires of today has little in common with the tire of 1896.While the tire is the conduit for the transmission of the starting, stopping, and steering forces necessary for vehicle operation, it also is one of the primary means of isolating the vehicle and driver from road surface irregularities and debris in the road. However, if viewed from an environmentally conscious standpoint, the tire helps reduce fuel consumption and emissions, and helps protect the road from vehicle load, although at times it may make a measurable contribution to the total vehicle noise level. Placing emphasis on the interaction of the tire with the vehicle or the road surface, this book covers the major components of tires and handling, including: Treadwear Traction Tire Road Noise Vehicle Ride Vehicle Dynamics Tire - Road Interaction.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1560917520
• ISBN13: 9781560917526
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: SAE International
• Length: 374 Pages