Behind the scenes:
tyre language and motorsport
In Emmen in the Netherlands we are busy with preparing ourselves for the production start of the TakeOff. By the end of February, we will start assembling the ‚First Edition‘ models. The new showroom models are currently being manufactured. These will be shown early March in Utrecht, Boxtel, Emmen (Netherlands) and Karlsruhe, Bottrop (Germany).
After the successful introduction of the prototypes at the Dutch Camping & Caravan Fair in October last year in Utrecht, we have kept you informed of what is going to change in the production version of the TakeOff. You can read this again under the news items on our website.
In ‚Behind the scenes‘ we give you a look behind the scenes of Easy Caravanning and the realisation of the TakeOff. This week we will tell you a bit more about tyre language and motorsport and in particular the choice of tires and rims for the TakeOff.
Of course, the picture above is not based on reality. But all kidding aside: motorsport and tires are inextricably linked. It’s not for nothing that you almost always see advertisements for a certain brand of tyre somewhere in historic motorsport photos.
A tyre provides the grip between vehicle and road surface. And although that sounds very easy, in practice it certainly isn’t. Over an area of just a few square centimeters, driving forces, braking forces and, for example, centrifugal forces have to be transmitted between vehicle and road surface. And this in very different weather conditions.
A tyre also provides a significant part of the damping of road unevenness between the vehicle and the road surface. A tyre manufacturer, in close cooperation with the car manufacturer and other suppliers, is faced with the ultimate challenge of ensuring optimum grip at all times and thus guaranteeing the safety of the driver as well as possible. In addition to the above, the tyre must not produce too much noise, not wear out too quickly, and must be able to drain a great deal of water during heavy rain showers to prevent aquaplaning.
In motor sport, tyres and other components are tested to the limit, motor sport is actually the ultimate test laboratory. With these test results and experiences, improvements are made time and time again, which benefit the ’normal car industry‘ to the full. How extreme it sometimes gets during testing is demonstrated in the following video from our partner Toyo Tires:
Grip is certainly not a question of fitting as wide a tyre as possible. On the contrary, a tyre which is too wide, in some cases, can lead to more sensitivity to aquaplaning and less grip due to the lower pressure per square centimeter of contact area.
For the TakeOff we have selected 2 rim-tyre combinations in close cooperation with our partners:
- A 14 inch steel rim with Toyo tyres 175/65R14 82T
- A 15 inch alloy wheel with Toyo tyres 185/55R15 82H
With the conscious choice of a larger rim diameter and generously dimensioned load index of the tyres (more than usual in our industry), the risk of punctures due to overheating and overloading is reduced to a minimum. However, always ensure the correct tire pressure of course!
There are many codes on a tyre, what exactly does this ‚tyre language‘ mean? Here we stick to the essentials:
185/55 R15 82H
- 185 = the width of the tyre measured from bead to bead.
- 55 = a 55 series tyre means that the ratio between the height and width of the tyre is 55%.
- R = a radial tyre. This refers to the method of construction of the tyre carcass (layers of cords).
- 15 = the rim diameter in inches.
- 82 = the load index. 82 stands for 475 kg per tyre, for the TakeOff with a maximum allowable weight of 750 kg amply dimensioned!
- H = speed symbol for maximum allowed speed of this tyre. H stands for 210 km/h.
There are many more codes on a tyre. For example, DOT 2118 means that the tyre was produced in week 21 of 2018. For the TakeOff the tire sizes have been chosen in such a way that the 14 inch tire-rim combination as a spare wheel can also be combined with the 15 inch tire-rim combination that comes standard on the Sport and Xcite models. Changes reserved.
