Operations are now in full swing at Yokohama’s new indoor ice test facility, which extends the winter test season that typically runs from January to mid-Feb. Located at the company’s Tire Test Center of Hokkaido in Asahikawa City, the company has been testing tires there since January 5.
The new indoor facility featuring an ice track took around two and half months to build and has total floor area of around 2,860m², at 119m x 24m, and an 8.8m-high ceiling (at the highest point) — making it suitable for evaluating truck, bus and passenger car tires.
The conditions inside the facility are unaffected by external factors such as the weather and outdoor temperatures, and the condition of the ice track can be kept stable. As a result, the accuracy of test data can be improved, facilitating the development of more advanced technologies.
