Our comprehensive R&D activities cover materials development, product design, testing and evaluation. Our Research and Development Integrated Centre (RADIC) at the Hiratsuka Factory is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, including supercomputers, electron microscopes as well as Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA) and centrifugal separators, thereby promoting the development of next-generation technology.

At our extensive testing facilities at D-PARC (Daigo Proving-ground and Research Center), the TIRE TEST CENTER OF ASIA (Thailand) and T*MARY (Takasu Motoring and Researching Yard), we are repeatedly carrying out in-vehicle testing from every possible angle.

D-PARC is equipped with test facilities for conducting in-vehicle performance evaluations of respective types of tires under various conditions. The facilities include a 2.6-kilometer high-speed oval track featuring a maximum banking angle of 41 degrees, Japan’s largest skid pad with a 100-meter radius, over 20 types of road surfaces, a special test course and a handling test track simulating winding mountain road conditions. A wealth of data accumulated in this facility is analyzed via RADIC and feedback is provided to R&D departments to be utilized in final products.

At the TIRE TEST CENTER OF ASIA, a high speed track featuring 4.1-kilometer track with a straight line distance of 1 kilometer enables performance evaluation of high-speed handling while a special test course is designed for checking riding comfort and noise levels replicating various road conditions around the world, including testing under dry and wet conditions. Additionally, steady-state durability testing of tires for passenger cars, light trucks, and trucks and buses is conducted on a general road track approximately 4.2 kilometers in length under various conditions.

T*MARY boasts three 20-meter-wide, 350-meter-long straight tracks as well as a cornering track with a 20-meter radius. Respective testing and evaluations are conducted, including handling, braking and cornering performance in response to snowy or icy road conditions, thereby contributing to the development of studless tires and other winter tires.