"Cordiant" tests winter tires in Yakutia
On March 12, Cordiant began another round of winter tire testing at the North-Eastern Federal University (NEFU) testing ground, according to the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation (FEADC)
As project manager of the new product development department at Cordiant, Pavel Kurganov, quoted by the NEFU press service, the tire manufacturer and the university have been collaborating for about eight years, and in Yakutia, new tires are being tested and experimental work is being carried out to improve existing products.
"This year, we have planned tests for several lines of studded tires and friction model options. If we talk about testing, we will conduct a full range of tests: that is, these are tests on snow surfaces that include acceleration, braking characteristics, and handling, and the same list of disciplines on an ice surface," he said.
The tests will last one to two weeks, depending on the weather, and Cordiant says that in March, tire testing in Russia can only be carried out in Yakutsk. The company also conducts tire tests for the cold season in the central part of the country using partners' resources, but "in conditions of a short winter, work can only be carried out until the end of February".
"Preparing the track for testing is a fairly complex and time-consuming process, and during our collaboration with NEFU, we understand that only here in March there are stable temperatures, a established, maximally dense snow layer, the density of which maximally corresponds to our requirements," Kurganov noted. "Here everything works in complex: the university not only provides tracks but also maintains them, helps with testing. It is important not only to have cars, timely tire replacement, but also special equipment for track preparation and restoration."
The implementation of the project to create a testing ground on the territory of the "Yakutia" Advanced Development Zone (ADZ) started in the summer of 2018, and the support of the FEADC made it possible to open the first stage already in the following year.
"Today, the testing ground is a full-fledged replacement for foreign sites," emphasized FEADC Yakutia Director Dmitry Borisov. "On its territory, there are several high-speed automobile tracks with a length of 150 to 1000 meters and a width of 6 to 20 meters, with various types of road surfaces, inclines, and turns, as well as an ice track."
Photo: Far East and Arctic Development Corporation