Other Test Facilities
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Main Track: A three-lane wide, 8.5 mile (13.7 km) oval track with one-mile radius turns and a 1.1 mile straightaway. Testing is done on this track for treadwear and carcass endurance, as well as for automotive component testing, vehicle handling and vehicle construction. The main track can accommodate a wide range of speeds to allow rapid accumulation of data. Special Test Area: This area features curb testing, rapid air loss simulation, and pothole testing. Hill Climb Gravel Course: A gravel course composed of compacted native stone and clay with 5%, 10% and 15% side slopes as well as a 9% and 15% incline for off-road truck tire development and off-road vehicle construction and automotive component testing. |
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A-Course: A three-mile triangular course of native soil, including a razor-sharp flint stone known as chert, checks a tire's ability to survive harsh off-road conditions. Natural elevation speeds are generally 25-30 mph and 45 mph maximum. C-Course: A ½ mile straightaway with a loop turnaround at each end and a surface of 3.5-inch to 5-inch Knippa traprock (the toughest stone known) and 1 1/2 to 2 layers thick. Truck tires (used as models for giant earthmover tires) are tested to develop tough, cut-and-tear resistant tread compounds. |
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F-Course: 1.5-mile one-lane oval course, with a caliche-gravel mixture surface, accommodates speeds of up to 45 mph. K-Course: Two-mile circular serpentine course is a clay-base road with slightly more gravel than the L-Course. Its surface features 2-inch to 2.5-inch layers of cubic form limestone concrete aggregate. L-Course: Located inside the K-Course, is a two-mile circular serpentine clay-base gravel road. The surface features 1-inch to 1.5-inch layers of cubic form limestone concrete aggregate. N-Course: Located inside the main track, this 3 mile (4.8 km) semi-circular test course is comprised of compacted native soils and gravel. This course is used for ton-mile-per-hour testing of off-road tires and as an endurance gravel road. This endurance gravel road combined with driving simulates truck tires that get a mixed exposure to both on and off road conditions. O-Course: This course features a bed of various size gravel to check tread designs for stone retention. P-Course: 2-mile serpentine gravel course comprised of native flint rock and small sections of dirt and is located north of the N-Course. |