ETRTO and JRC attended a workshop on Euro 7 test methodology

This week, representatives of the European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation (ETRTO) and the Joint Research Center (JRC) participated in a 2-day workshop on tyre abrasion at the DEKRA test center in the south of France.

They had the chance to see the methodology approved by the UNECE Working Party on Noise and Tyres (GRBP) in action and to better understand the driving conditions specified in the Euro 7 regulation.

The testing run in several steps:

• Test vehicle preparation. Different details were checked to mitigate the vehicle's impact on the test. Loaded dummies were added to the passenger seats to reflect real loaded conditions.
• Tyre fitting and balancing. This included the tyres' position on the vehicle and required inflation pressure.
• Tyre measurement. This included cleaning the tyres, weighing them on a very precise scale (to assess the weight loss after the test), and measuring the tread depth and profile of the tyres by laser.
• Open road testing. The participants followed a convoy of four vehicles with normal tyres in an independent vehicle. One vehicle had standard Reference Test Tyres (SRTT), and three vehicles were equipped with candidate tyres testing for GRBP TFTA Market assessment. The testing occurred in a real-life situation, including normal traffic and standard conditions (speed, accelerations, braking, cornering speed). Specific measurement devices monitored all driving conditions to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. Regular stops for driver exchanges were ensured, and different road and driving conditions were experienced.

More testing will be conducted to collect abrasion data from diverse tyre sizes, patterns, and brands in the upcoming months. This data will then be used to determine tyre abrasion limits for passenger car tyres (C1 tyres) to be incorporated in UN Regulation No. 117 by September 2025.

The European tyre industry has significantly invested in this market assessment and the proposal will become the reference methodology of the Euro 7 regulation of the European Union.