Goodyear upgrades its driving simulator with VI-grade

By CARSIFU | 19 March 2020


KUALA LUMPUR: The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company announced that it will enhance its product development capabilities with the purchase of new VI-grade driving simulators, including a dynamic model - making it a first for tyre manufacturers.

The US-based tyremaker selected a COMPACT Simulator that was recently delivered to the company’s innovation centre in Luxembourg and a Dynamic Driving Simulator DiM250 (Driver-in-Motion) that will be installed in Akron, Ohio in the US within the coming months.



Driver in Motion (DiM) is a new machine architecture from VI-grade that helps provide automotive engineers with a new approach to system-level simulation that can allow companies to bridge the gap between testing and simulation.

This dynamic configuration provides motion feedback to the driver via an innovative nine-degrees-of-freedom moving platform with reduced overall dimensions and large travels.

By going beyond the basic six-actuator design, both vehicle dynamics and ride can now be studied simultaneously on the same motion platform.

The automotive industry trend toward a virtual development cycle provides an opportunity for tyre development and this new simulation avenue will allow Goodyear to work more collaboratively with automobile manufacturers on original equipment fitments.

The driving simulators will be used for virtual development and tuning of dynamic performances of tyres, aided by the ability to simulate a range of driving conditions.

“This level of simulation sophistication will allow Goodyear to drive breakthroughs in future tyre creation, leading to an enhanced customer and driver experience,” said Goodyear senior vice president and chief technology officer Chris Helsel.

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