Citation

Kelley JD, Speyer AG. Transp. Res. Rec. 1977; 621: 99-106.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1977, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

A designed experiment consisting of the three basic tire constructions (diagonal, bias belted, and radial) with three typical tread designs on each tire construction, is utilized to determine the effect of tire construction on wet traction. Significantly, the radial construction itself does not show an inherent advantage for straight ahead wet traction. This fact is better understood as the interaction between the tire footprint and the road surface is explained. Investigation within the radial construction framework shows variables such as stabilizer ply material and ply angle to have little influence on straight ahead wet traction. Only when the radial construction is coupled with a radial type tread design is the full potential realized. The superiority of this combination is even more evident when wet cornering and treadwear evaluations are considered.