Shandong, China (May 31, 2012) – China is to build a test track near Yantai Zhaoyuan in China, available to domestic tyre makers. The facility will be the first outdoor test facility in China and is intended to ensure compliance with an increasingly regulated global tyre industry.

Specifically, the track will be able to measure wet grip, rolling resistance and noise to global standards. These parameters are measured on the EU consumer tyre label which comes into force from November 2012.

The Chinese tyre companies are spending large sums of money on third-party testing services, and the new facility should make the testing process faster and cheaper.

A speech by a senior executive with Shandong Linglong promoted the facility and noted that Double Star Tyres has developed a new silica mixing technique. Furthermore, work with the Qingdao Technical university has developed a new low-temperature silica mixing process.