Interesting test vehicle

[ebinmaine 67,641]

https://www.thedrive.com/news/37188/michelin-built-this-freakish-10-wheeled-citroen-to-test-truck-tires-at-110-mph

 

 

 

Sourced from this article:

 

https://www.thedrive.com/news/44934/inside-the-mind-of-a-self-professed-tire-nerd

Edited April 3, 2022 by ebinmaine

[kwalshy 229]

That's a pretty interesting and cool way to test tires.  Thanks for sharing.

[SylvanLakeWH 25,602]

So, will it handle our demanding  tire needs? Speed? Load? Handling in corners at high speeds? Drifting capabilities of the 8 speeds vs hydros? Loaded vs unloaded tires?

 

[ebinmaine 67,641]

30 minutes ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

So, will it handle our demanding  tire needs? Speed? Load? Handling in corners at high speeds? Drifting capabilities of the 8 speeds vs hydros? Loaded vs unloaded tires?

 

Yes

[wh500special 2,188]

That thing is barely more strange than a standard, factory-fresh Citroen. 

can you imagine sitting inside there if the truck tire blew?   Yikes. 

 

I wonder if it had the magic hydropneumatic suspension…

 

Steve

[8ntruck 7,018]

 I spent my 40 year engineering career in the steel wheel industry. 

 

Early in my carrier, I was doing stress analysis in the engineering and test facility.  The computer room was separated from the test lab by a concrete block wall.  On the other side of that wall was a bullwheel test machine for semi truck wheels.  This machine had a big roller probably 6 feet in diameter that the semi truck wheel/tire was pushed into and rolled along at something like 40mph.  The applied test load was usually twice the rated load of the test wheel.  The tire was considered to be a consumable test supply.  When one of those tires let go, you felt the noise as much as heard it - even in the neighbouring computer room.

 

One day, we had an IT guy in from the corporate office working on the computer.  He was between the wall (with the test machine about 10'away on the other side of the wall) and I was working at a terminal when one of those semi tires blew.  Big bang, and I felt the pressure wave and the pressure wave that bounced off of the far wall of the room.  I jumped, cringed a bit, then went back to work.  Then I remembered the IT guy.  He was peeking out from behind the computer with large eyes and looking kind of pale.  In a shaky voice, he asks "that doesn't happen often, does it?" 

[ebinmaine 67,641]

4 hours ago, 8ntruck said:

  Big bang

I've been beside a modern tire (not sure if they're constructed the same) when it blew off a truck rim.  

Heading up 95 around Kittery or York driving along with the window open and a tractor trailer RIGHT beside me lost one. 

"Startled" is a good word.  

😀

 

Debris field went the other way so no harm other than the potential of cleaning my laundry.  

[Handy Don 12,237]

13 hours ago, wh500special said:

That thing is barely more strange than a standard, factory-fresh Citroen. 

can you imagine sitting inside there if the truck tire blew?   Yikes. 

 

I wonder if it had the magic hydropneumatic suspension…

 

Steve

The article cited that the guts of that thing were from a truck and the body was just a "wrapper". Even though they had a barrier for the driver, it'd be one heck of noise for sure but at least contained!

 

5 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

I've been beside a modern tire ... when it blew off a truck rim

I've often seen re-tread strips and blown tire fragments alongside the highway, but thankfully I've never been near the actual event! 

 

I do remember helping a high school friend shop for a car and pointing out that the tires on one candidate had, essentially, no tread. His answer? "Those are Italian Racing Tires--Baldinis!" 

[wh500special 2,188]

About a month ago my wife was next to a semi that was passing her when a tire came apart on it.  It was one of the duals under the fifth wheel of the tractor.  The tread portion flew right out in front of her and she had no choice but to run over it.  It took out some of the valance panel below the bumper of our van but did no other significant damage I could find.
 

She was doing the speed limit, the truck was going godknowshowfast.  The trucker kept going as if nothing happened and disappeared over the horizon as the remnant of the tire continued to shower traffic with rubber.  He may not have caused the tire to fail, but he sure as heck didn’t care or even know it happened. 

 

Got the whole thing on the dash cam of course.  We didn’t pursue it since the damage is worth less than the hassle of trying to exact a pound of flesh.

A  guy at work had a tread chunk take out the oil pan on his Jetta when he ran over it at night.  Black rubber has a sneaky way of concealing itself against the asphalt in the dark.  Lost the engine as a result.  He was not happy.

 

The interstates are littered with tire chunks and road gators from big trucks.  I don’t know the cause but it’s clearly a dangerous and costly problem for everybody who shares and pays for the use of the road.   I would guess it’s a collective of poor maintenance, excessive speed, improper inflation, retreads, and overloading.   I’d blame the rough roads too, but I think there is a chicken and egg argument that needs to be settled first.  

 

I realize everything in life eventually moves on a truck, but from an outsider’s perspective it seems like a Wild West industry.  I qualify this by mentioning that in my career I’ve loaded, unloaded, hired, and driven trucks and my opinion remains unchanged that there is a lot of room for safety improvements in the business.  And i don’t believe it would be cost prohibitive.
 

So keep on testing those things and build more of those wacky machines. 
 

Steve

Edited April 6, 2022 by wh500special

[ebinmaine 67,641]

4 minutes ago, wh500special said:

from an outsider’s perspective it seems like a Wild West industry.  I qualify this by mentioning that in my career I’ve loaded, unloaded, hired, and driven trucks and my opinion remains unchanged that there is a lot of room for safety improvements in the business.  And i don’t believe it would be cost prohibitive

 

As a Professional Commercial Truck Driver ...

I agree.  

 

I've been around awhile. 

I keep my record clean. 

I'm in position to drive for a carefully chosen company. 

 

There are many companies and trucks that should not be on the road. 

 

Luckily they are but a spec of sand on a beach in comparison to the myriad of safely operating others. 

 

[8ntruck 7,018]

Those semi tires are usually inflated to something like 100 or 120psi cold.  The pressure at operating temperature will be higher. That is a lot of stored energy.

 

Tire failures are caused by many things - road damage, low inflation pressure, and retread failure are probably the most common causes.

 

The tires were capable of launching components of the old (and seldom used anymore) multi piece rims through walls, roofs, and people if the rim was not assembled properly,or the rim pieces were worn or damaged.

 

Not too long ago, I passed a semi on the freeway that had slowed down to about 70mph that had a severe wobble in one of the front wheels.  The camber of the wheel looked weird, so I will guess that there was a problem with one of the king pins.

 

I try to minimize time spent driving next to semis when I am driving.

[Beap52 815]

I was walking on a sidewalk several years ago when a split rim on a city bus let loose and flew into the door of a parked car.  It caved that car door in!  Had it not been for that car, I wouldn't likely be typing this today.  I have heard of guys having body parts taken off when airing up split rimmed tires and the reason our local shop wrapped chains around them before airing them up.

 

[wallfish 17,014]

Just be glad you're not this poor guy.

 

 

On 4/6/2022 at 12:05 AM, 8ntruck said:

That is a lot of stored energy.