One major challenge in virtual tire development today is the availability of a validated vehicle model. Accurate prediction of vehicle-tire behavior is crucial, especially when the benchmark tire model is available, as it enables gap identification, early specification changes and reductions in cost and environmental impact by reducing prototyping. Vehicle characterization or the use of generic models from vehicle dynamics software is costly or lacks fidelity. This study proposes a representative vehicle model approach, combining key vehicle parameters with generic data. A use case evaluation shows it is a balanced and cost-effective solution, enabling a full virtual tire assessment.

• The current challenges of the tire industry on running a complete virtual assessment of tire development
• A possible approach for an early stage of tire development, regarding vehicle models and vehicle dynamics simulation
• The similarity between a reduced-order vehicle model and experimental results