In general, the importance of simulation in the product development process is steadily increasing. Among other reasons, this can be attributed to shortened development times and to an increased differentiation of tire sizes per vehicle. A further relevance is given on the generation of fundamental knowledge. The tire as a high-tech product is not an exception, it is more an outstanding challenge. One reason for this is the high complexity due to the non-linear material properties of its components. Another reason stems from the very diverse operating conditions of the tire. Examples are the usage on wet or dry, respectively winter roads or even off-road. On top are different vehicle models with various categories e.g. Truck, SUV, Sport or Compact cars. As there are different types of tires and sizes are available on the market for a wide variety of applications, various tire models have been developed over the time and are used in the development process. Vehicle and tire manufactures as well as road developers and material suppliers use various tire models to answer the respective questions. This contribution addresses the current tire models and their requirements as well as an out-look to the future of tire simulations. It is discussed whether an all-in-one simulation solution is desirable or if a more focused, differentiated approach would be more promising. Scaling capabilities, computation time and precision as well as the predictability of tire models in the product development are reviewed. In addition, the requirement profiles of these models are considered with respect to the various fields of application.
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