Vehicle Rolling Resistance as Affected by Tire and Road Conditions

When a tire rolls on a road surface, the road surface and tire interacts, resulting in the conversion of mechanical energy into heat. This has a major impact on the wear and tear of the tire and road surface as well as the vehicle fuel economy, with up to 20 per cent of the fuel used to overcome this rolling resistance between the road surface and the tire. The major parameters affecting the rolling resistance are the pavement surfacing characteristics, tire characteristics and operating conditions and vehicle characteristics and operating conditions. This paper evaluates the effect of tire inflation pressure, vehicle speed and pavement texture on the rolling resistance for typical passenger vehicles in South Africa.