Abstract

The influence of five belt constructions on high speed endurance, ride comfort, and rolling resistance was investigated for a high performance 225/50R16 92V radial passenger car tire, using the finite element method. The belt constructions were combinations of belt edge shapes (cut, folded) and reinforcement materials (steel, aramid). The goal was to find optimized belt constructions for tire weight reduction, considering important tire properties like high speed endurance, ride comfort, and rolling resistance. A full aramid belt construction with a folded belt around a cut belt was chosen for design parameter variation calculations to reduce rolling resistance. This leads to a tire with smaller belt width, increased folding width, additional center cap ply, and reduced non‐skid base and depth. The effect of inflation pressure and speed on rolling resistance was evaluated for this construction.