Reduction of Tire Rolling Resistance by Optimization of Road Surfaces and Tires

During interaction between tire and road surface three very important phenomena are always in effect. One of them (very desirable) is friction that is important for traction, braking and cornering. Two other phenomena are not desirable at all, that is rolling resistance and noise. This paper discusses relations between road surface and tire parameters versus tire rolling resistance. Road surface texture, porosity, impedance, strength and wearing resistance must be optimized for the best performance in certain condition. Different requirements apply to tires and road surfaces intended for high speed roads and different characteristics are desirable for road surfaces and tires designed for low speed urban areas, especially where the traffic is composed with many low emission vehicles (LEV). The authors work on optimization of tires and road surfaces for LEV’s (hybrid and electric cars) within the Polish-Norwegian project LEO.