IVALO, Finland (Dec. 11, 2014) — Goodyear Dunlop Europe has opened a dedicated winter tire testing facility, the Arctic Center, near Ivalo in northern Finland.
Goodyear is leasing the facility, which comprises a frozen lake and trails through the nearby forest, from Action Park Ivalo Oy, a Finnish enterprise that operates a winter driving school and park.
The Akron-based tire maker said it will have exclusive access to the track for the “foreseeable future.” Financial terms were not disclosed.
Cutting the ribbon recently on Goodyear's "Arctic Center" winter test site in Ivalo Finland were (left to right): Janne Seurujärvi, local politician and avid promoter for the region where the track is based; Ludvig Nauckhoff, general manager, Goodyear Nordics Region (Scandinavia and the Baltics); Ari Vatanen, former Member of the European Parliament and former World Rally Champion; and Jean-Pierre Jeusette, general director, Goodyear Innovation Center Luxemburg.
Goodyear said the facility's location in a valley creates a microclimate that is suitable for testing tires in snow and ice conditions from November to early April.
The Arctic Center has several snow and ice rinks for various tests, modern IT equipment as well as most garages for preparation and storage of test vehicles and tires.
“We are very excited to launch the Arctic Centre,” said Jean-Pierre Jeusette, director general of Goodyear's Innovation Center, Luxembourg.
“Having the possibility to work in ideal ice and snow conditions is a true asset. By definition, snow sciences cannot be studied nor put into practice in an office as they require field experience. That is the condition to deploy state-of-the art tire technology”
The Arctic Center will complement the winter testing Goodyear already carries out at sites in France, Luxembourg, Switzerland and New Zealand.
Testing on ice at Goodyear's 'Arctic Center' winter tire test facility in Ivalo, Finland.
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