Effect of Tread Depth on the Tire Cornering Performance

A vehicle’s performance is heavily dependent on its tires’ characteristics, which is in turn affected by different tire properties, one of which is the tire tread depth. This paper investigates the effect of tread depth on the cornering performance of truck tires and presents results of a study in which a series of new and worn truck tires are measured on dry asphalt on a flat track machine. The measurement results are used for development of generic truck tire models. The effects of tread depth on the cornering coefficient, peak lateral friction and relaxation length of truck tires are analyzed, result of which is included in the models.