Wet grip at MIRA
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IN A new £2 million track for testing vehicles grip in the wet was officially opened at the Motor Industry Research Association's proving ground near Nuneaton last week by Junior Transport Minister Peter Bottomley.
SP Tyres provided about 45 per cent of the track's cost, the Departments of Transport and Trade and Industry between them about 35 per cent, while the remainder was provided about equally by Michelin and Automotive Products.
There are eight different surfaces on the track with wet coefficients of friction ranging from 0.75 down to 0.10, which is about as slippery as wet ice.
Several test surfaces designed to induce various levels of tyre/road noise have been used on the approach roads to the wet grip area.
A glass plate, with a load capacity of 6.5 tonnes and an underground observation/photography chamber, is built into the start of the concrete test strip. This will allow tyre footprints to be studied and photographed.
The new track is expected to be used mainly for the development of tyres and antilock brake systems for commercial vehicles and cars.