Technical Paper
A Method for the Evaluation of the Lateral Stability of Vehicles and Tires
1974-02-01
741101
The report starts by outlining some concepts regarding the forces and the moments which act on a tire. Some general characteristics of indoor cornering force machines, along with their limitations, are then examined. This is followed by a detailed description of a method of measuring tire-vehicle curves on a steering pad. The method, based on experience obtained by the use of mathematical models, permits a quantitative evaluation of the stability and the steering of a vehicle under steady state working conditions, on both wet and dry tracks. It is also shown that certain aspects of the vehicles behavior in transient conditions may be deduced from the data obtained. The method is valid for both cars and two-axle trucks and it is illustrated with some examples.