Abstract
The purpose of this study was to clarify the factors affecting how vehicle dynamic performance changes due to changes in wheel stiffness. First, actual vehicle dynamic performance tests were conducted to compare the influence of wheel stiffness on vehicle dynamic performance. The results confirmed that wheel disk stiffness and wheel rim stiffness influence actual vehicle performance differently. Tests were also conducted to investigate the relationship between wheel stiffness and the tire contact patch characteristics, and these results confirmed that wheel stiffness greatly influences the tire contact patch characteristics. Furthermore, it was also confirmed that appropriate values and threshold values exist for wheel stiffness.
