The site, which spans over 700 hectares of snowy plains in Ivalo, Lapland, was opened in 1986, and since then, has gained a reputation for being one of the most complex, extreme natural tire testing centers in the world.
During November to May, test tracks are at their busiest. In that time, during the approximately 200 days of freezing weather, more than 20,000 tires are tested and more than 40,000km driven on the test tracks.
There are over 20 maintained tracks spanning over 100km, including a 700m-long ice hall where repeatable testing can be carried out in a range of conditions.
“In testing, state-of-the-art technologies are used that keep improving and developing. For example, real-time tracking of temperature and relative humidity makes our work easier and faster,” said Petri Peltoniemi, test manager at Nokian Tyres.
