Yokohama opens Japan’s largest indoor ice circle test facility

Yokohama has opened what it claims is Japan’s largest indoor facility for testing tyre turning performance on ice.

Located at its Tire Test Center of Hokkaido (TTCH), the new facility is dedicated to testing the turning performance of winter tyres on an icy surface.

Yokohama highlights the importance of the new facility, as it says turning performance on ice is the second most important tyre performance on icy roads, after braking performance.

Compared to outdoor test sites, the new indoor facility is unaffected by changing outdoor weather conditions and temperatures, and the ice surface’s condition can be stably maintained.

As a result, the accuracy of test data can be improved, facilitating efficient development of more advanced technologies.

The new facility is housed in a 56m×56m building with a ceiling height of 12.3m, and its 1,960m2 ice surface enables testing at turning radiuses of 10-22m.

Since opening TTCH in December 2015, Yokohama has introduced more advanced and sophisticated testing and evaluation methods in support of the global expansion of its tyre business.

In January 2018, TTCH opened its first indoor facility with an ice track for testing winter tyres.

In November 2020, the facility was upgraded by installing Japan’s largest indoor cooling unit, which enables setting the temperature of the ice surface anywhere between -10°C and 0°C.

The newly completed indoor ice circle test facility is adjacent to the previously established indoor ice-surface test facility, which will facilitate efficient combination testing using both facilities and accelerate the development of winter tyres that deliver the highest level of safety for driving on icy roads.