Testing in Extreme Conditions
Nokian Tyres is deeply rooted in North European soil. The company is the northernmost tire manufacturer in the world. It developed its first tires 80 years ago. Nokian Tyres dedicates at least half of the year to serious winter tire testing. Braking, accelerating, handling tests, driving on a round circuit and up a steep hill on ice and snow again and again comes as a natural choice for the inventor of winter tires. Uncompromising testing demands an almost endless amount of repetition in constant conditions in order to obtain reliable results.
Nokian Tyres is deeply rooted in North European soil. The company is the northernmost tire manufacturer in the world. It developed its first tires 80 years ago. Nokian Tyres dedicates at least half of the year to serious winter tire testing. Braking, accelerating, handling tests, driving on a round circuit and up a steep hill on ice and snow again and again comes as a natural choice for the inventor of winter tires. Uncompromising testing demands an almost endless amount of repetition in constant conditions in order to obtain reliable results.
It’s all in the feel
Each year, Nokian Tyres’ test drivers cover hundreds of thousands of kilometres, feeling, sensing, and evaluating. Once the vehicle has become part of the body, the tire tester knows what a tire feels like.
Ivalo Test Center
The company has its own testing center spanning over 1,700 acres in Ivalo, Finnish Lapland, to the north of the Arctic Circle. There, R&D and testing teams as well as test drivers put tires to the test.
Nokia Test Center
On the Nokia Testing Center, Nokian Tyres simulates almost all driving situations on northern roads. Testing is conducted at Nokia from April to November.
Spain Test Center
We are stengthening our all-season tire expertise and will be opening a new testing center for all-season, all-weather and winter tires in Spain. The versatile development center allows for all-year product development and testing especially for all-season tires with high speed ratings. The testing center is expected to be fully operational in 2020.
Vehicle testing
Tires’ wear durability is assessed using so-called convoy tests in which three identical cars drive one after the other on a set route.
Indoor testing
Nokian Tyres’ indoor testing makes sure that its new rubber mixtures, tread patterns and tire constructions are of high quality and are friendly to the environment.
Testing tires in Extreme Conditions
Approximately 50% of product development costs are spent on testing. Adequate test results cannot be achieved just in laboratory conditions and through automated tests.