MILLBROOK, England — Millbrook Group is expanding its Test World site in Finland with a view to making the facility "Europe's leading location for tire testing."
The project will increase the capacity for testing on natural snow and ice, and introduce wet and dry braking, aquaplaning and split friction surfaces, Millbrook said.
Customers already can test tires and vehicles on natural snow at Test World 12 months of the year. The site has two indoor winter test facilities that can be used in the milder months when the outdoor snow and ice tracks are not available.
The proposed expansion will create three additional indoor areas, doubling the amount of indoor testing space.
Millbrook-based Millbrook Group, which bought the facility near Ivalo, Finland, in 2015, did not disclose the expected investment in the expansion.
The wet and dry braking facility will open Test World to a new market, attracting customers that wish to test winter tires on wet and dry surfaces as well as on snow and ice, the company said.
The length of the extended facility will allow Test World to test brakes on passenger cars at higher speeds than possible in the existing space, the firm added. The adjustable temperature and humidity will give an advantage to development, certification and labeling testing for tires by allowing greater environmental control.
The expansion is something customers have been asking for, according to Janne Seurujärvi, managing director, Test World.