This research investigates the benefit of integrating friction characteristics into tyre modelling. At large slip, tyre force behaviour is dominated by the friction characteristics between the tyre tread and the road surface. To capture this, a friction master curve can be generated from friction measurements obtained on a specialised test rig. Incorporating these measurements into a simple thermo-mechanical model enables the simulation of pure and combined slip conditions, and capturing important tyre force and moment behaviour.

However, acquiring friction measurements typically entails intricate and time-consuming experiments. In an effort to keep testing time down, this research introduces a novel method to extract sliding friction measurements from existing flat-track data, which are already standard across vehicle manufacturers. The extracted results reveal that controlled test procedures used in flat-track testing explores a narrow range of sliding friction coefficients, highlighting the potential for expansion with modified test procedures. Furthermore, the extracted measurements closely align with the friction master curve obtained from a friction test rig. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated by its application to two tyres of different sizes but with the same tread compound, yielding matching results.

In summary, this research demonstrates the significant benefits of incorporating friction measurements into tire modelling. It offers a practical and efficient approach to enhance simulation accuracy while leveraging existing testing procedures, thereby contributing to advancements in tyre modelling and simulation techniques.