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Hannover 27 August 2013 – Continental has taken at the beginning of the world’s first fully automatic tire test facility in operation. AIBA: Automated Indoor Braking is investing in a 300 meter long and 30 meter wide hall on the grounds of Contidrom far from Hannover. Only a few gazettes was worth a message. Only when in April a jury of senior motoring journalists car developers and the Hanoverians awarded the “Vehicle Dynamics Innovation Award”, the media listened to.
Every year, up to 100,000 tires will be tested throughout the year on their stopping distance in dry, wet and icy roads there. In contrast to classic, performed by test drivers measurements in the AIBA an unmanned car automatically accelerates to 120 km / h, and slowed down to replaceable road surfaces. Five different road stripes with different friction coefficients are available. They can be hydraulically slide under the wheel track. In the previous test area, there were only two road types. So all year round regardless of weather tests are possible because the hall is fully air conditioned. The Jury member Lorenzo Faccinetti by the Italian magazine “Auto” commented like this: “With this plant, Continental has solved the main problem in the tire test: the weather.”Many profiteers
that Continental can now double its testing capacity and increase the precision of the measurement results, of course, is a benefit for the developers. We do not hope that by the way some of the best test driver to be deported to the ranks of the unemployed. The term “automation” yes immediately arouses suspicion: As people lose their jobs!
But in addition to the developers, there are other profiteers: We and all “tire test” car magazines benefit from the AIBA. Apart from the major automobile clubs editors test on the areas of the tire manufacturers. Only they have large homogeneous areas, irrigation facilities, meters and staffed. Remarkably often falls to a host brand. Not because was cheated or pushed in the tests. No, the host tire just feels more comfortable than a competition on its rubber base. On it, he has been optimized. On it he is great. Michelin test lanes are different from those, for example, use the Bridgestone or Continental. In the new Conti test hall can choose with varying coefficients of friction of the tire tester from five different road surfaces. Since then may a while, the host does not taste the tires that way. It can not be number one on all surfaces.Comment
