This work presents a predictive physical model of local friction for tire-road interaction, initially developed for motorsport and later extended to passenger vehicles. The model enhances the Greenwood and Williamson framework by incorporating the ratio between the effective and the nominal contact area. It uses multisource inputs, including surface roughness data, viscoelastic tread compound properties and local conditions such as temperature, slip velocity and pressure. Recent model advancements and extensive validation across motorsport, passenger vehicle tests and laboratory measurements are discussed. Results demonstrate the model’s predictive accuracy, versatility and suitability for reliable tire-road friction estimation.

• Tire-road friction predictive and physical modeling
• How to manage road pavement data acquisition and processing
• Tire tread viscoelasticity characterization with innovative non-distructive methodologies