Apollo Tyres inaugurates advanced R&D testing facility

CHENNAI, India—Apollo Tyres Ltd.'s Global R&D Center just got more advanced.

The Indian tire maker inaugurated its advanced tire testing facility at the Chennai center on Dec. 7.

According to Apollo, the facility will improve efficiency and effectiveness of the company's product development cycle for passenger vehicles and two-wheeler tires, "including the ones for electric vehicles."

The facility features a "custom-designed flat-trac machine" and a soundproof chamber.

"(This) would characterize the performance of tires' dynamics and acoustics, leading to faster product development for both OE and replacement markets," the company said in a Dec. 7 news release.

The flat-trac machine is a key component of advanced tire testing, Apollo said, and will characterize handling parameters and tire models as well as measuring force and moment (F&M) properties.

The machine also is custom designed to address tire simulation needs of future vehicles, such as EVs and autonomous vehicles.

And unlike previous versions, the flat-trac machine can replicate real-life situations, Apollo said, including vehicles' emergency maneuvers, like high slip and high torque ramp-up.

"For two-wheelers, it simulates the most severe inclinations, as prevalent amongst premium motorcycle riders," the company said.

Another component of the facility is its "high-speed uniformity" machine combined with the anechoic chamber, which helps simulate NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) properties and combines the study of mechanical and acoustic comfort parameters by building different road profiles for the tires to be tested.

High-end passenger vehicles, EV specific tires for PV and high-end motorcycle tires will directly benefit from this facility, Apollo said.

"We strongly focus on continuous improvement in efficiency and effectiveness of product development, and this new facility will further augment our testing capabilities for future vehicle models," said Daniele Lorenzetti, chief technology officer at Apollo.

"We will be able to fine tune the performance of our products by simulating closely to the real-world conditions using this facility. This is aligned with Apollo Tyres' 2026 vision, of which Technology is a key pillar."

European Rubber Journal contributed to this report.