It’s all in the feel
Each year, Nokian Tyres’ test drivers cover hundreds of thousands of kilometres, feeling, sensing, and evaluating. Once the vehicle has become part of the body, the tyre tester knows what a tyre feels like.
Testing in extreme conditions
Nokian Tyres is deeply rooted in northern soil. The company is the northern most tyre manufacturer in the world. It developed its first tyres 80 years ago. Nokian Tyres dedicates at least half of the year to serious winter tyre testing. This comes as a natural choice for the inventor of winter tyres. Braking, accelerating, handling tests, driving on a round circuit and up a steep hill on ice and snow. Again and again. Uncompromising testing demands an almost endless amount of repetition in constant conditions in order to obtain reliable results.
Ivalo Test Center
The company has its own testing center spanning over 700 hectares in Ivalo, Finnish Lapland, to the north of the Arctic Circle. There, R&D and testing teams as well as test drivers put tyres to the test.
Nokia Test Center
On the Nokia Testing Center, Nokian Tyres simulates almost all driving situations on northern roads. Testing is conducted at Nokia from April to November.
Spain Test Center
We are strengthening our summer tire expertise and will be opening a new testing center for summer and winter tires in Spain. The versatile testing center allows for all-year product development and testing especially for summer tires with high speed ratings. The testing center is expected to be fully operational in 2020.
Vehicle testing
Tyres’ wear durability is assessed using so-called convoy tests in which three identical cars drive one after the other on a set route.
Indoor testing
Nokian Tyres’ indoor testing makes sure that its new rubber mixtures, tread patterns and tyre constructions are of high quality and are friendly to the environment.
Testing summer tyres around the world
In addition to using international tracks, we are also researching and developing summer tyres at our own test track in Nokia. The modern and versatile track, which is located near the Nokian Tyres factory and product development unit, offers opportunities for extremely flexible and precise product testing.
Testing tyres in extreme conditions
Approximately 50% of product development costs are spent on testing. Adequate test results cannot be achieved just in laboratory conditions and through automated tests.