AKRON—Two panels have been added to the schedule of the upcoming International Tire Exhibition & Conference.
In the first, The Future of Tire Testing, the panel of experts will share their views on what tire testing will look like in the next decade. Some of the questions they will answer include: Will tests that have been relied on for 50 years continue to be the cornerstone of tire performance characterization? What incremental improvements might extend their lifetime for many more years? What novel tests and techniques may render the current standard tests obsolete? How will testing have to change with the increased reliance on computer modeling of tire performance? How will testing accommodate radical new tire and wheel designs? Anyone interested in tire performance can't afford to miss the opportunity to hear these and other questions addressed.
The panelists are:
- James Popio, vice president, Tire Performance and Characterization, Smithers Rapra. Smithers Rapra is a global leader in materials characterization and product performance.
- James Cuttino, President, Camber Ridge. The Camber Ridge technique puts the tire on a real, paved surface in an environmentally controlled facility. The tire is controlled from a precision carriage mounted on a guided rail system.
- Cheryl Schnuth, vice president marketing/technical sales, Standard Testing Laboratories. STL operates the largest independent tire testing laboratory in the world in Massillon, Ohio as well as Texas Test Fleet testing in Texas.
The second panel, on consumer tire information, will provide insight into the types of information consumers need and want on tires. The panel will cover what tire performance information consumers have available, and whether it is important and helpful, or extraneous, and they will discuss securing information they would like, but for which they have trouble finding a reliable source.
In addition, the panel will discuss how helpful government standards are; how consumers can best be provided information about a potential tire purchase; and other important questions focusing on the needs and expectations of the consumer.
The panelists are:
- Eugene (Gene) Peterson, tire project leader for Consumer Reports magazine.
- Marvin Bozarth, senior technical consultant for the Tire Industry Association, an international non-profit association representing all segments of the tire industry.
- Walter H. Waddell, ExxonMobil, retired. Waddell is an scientist and ITEC co-chairman who has worked with government agencies, manufacturers and technical groups around the world on tire safety and performance.
Both panels are being moderated by Larry Evans, who retired as a research analyst for NHTSA, where his primary job was analyzing data from NHTSA's extensive tire and vehicle testing programs. Evans is an active industry consultant and ITEC co-chairman.
The event will be held Sept. 13-15 at the John S. Knight Center in Akron.
For more information about the panels, and all the conference programs, visit the ITEC website.