Tyre Test - Tyre Traction

Updated on Mar 4, 2026

The Tyre Traction plugin for VBOX Test Suite gives you the ability to compare the traction forces and wheel slip of different tyres.

The Tyre Traction plugin has a unique Test Setup ribbon, from which you can configure the test.

VBTS_TyreTraction_TestSetup

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Click on the Configure button to open the Settings window where you can define the parameters of the test.

Click on the Report button to create a report from the current test results.

Click on the Maths Channels button to open the Maths Channels window to configure unique maths channels. You can find more information about maths channels in the Test Setup section.

Click on the Save Settings button to save the current test setup and add it to the Saved Settings area in the Add Test window.

The test will also be added to the list under the Performance Test button on the Home tab for easy access.

Click on the Export button to display a dropdown menu with the export options. You can export the selected results or line results to a .csv or a .txt file. 

VBTS_TestSetup_GateSection

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Click on the Add Gate button to add a virtual gate to the chart and map at the point of the cursor. Gates are indicated by green lines. The currently selected gate will be indicated by a blue line.

You can now use the gates to define start and/or end conditions.


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Click on the Add Gate button to add a virtual gate to the chart and map at the point of the cursor. Gates are indicated by green lines. The currently selected gate will be indicated by a blue line.

You can now use the gates to define start and/or end conditions.

When you have added a gate, the name of the currently selected gate will be displayed in the name box. Click on the arrow in the box to see a dropdown list of all the added gates. The gates will be named according to the type of gate (if applicable) and the order it was added.  

Note: You cannot have multiple gates with the same name.

When you have added a gate, you can specify the gate width. The default gate width is 20 m.

Type the required width in the Width (m) value box. 

Click on the Rename button to edit the currently selected gate line.

Click on the Delete button to delete the currently selected gate line. 

Click on the Export button to export the created gate(s) as an .spl file. This file can be reused at a later date and with another VBOX product.

Click on the Import button to import a previously saved or provided .spl file. When the file is imported, the gates will be added in the order that they were saved in the .spl file.


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The Add button adds a column to the Test Results area. Click this button to open a dropdown menu where you can select a channel to display in the test results window.

When you select a column header in the Test Results area, the channel name will be displayed in the Channel box (the top box in the Data Column section). Some columns will have required channels and cannot be changed, but if you can change the channel, the Channel box will become a drop-down list with the available channels.    

Data column_SelectedColumn_DefaultChannel
Data column_SelectedColumn_EditChannel
Data column_SelectedColumn_DefaultChannel
Data column_SelectedColumn_EditChannel

When you select a column header in the Test Results area, and it is a changeable channel, the Condition dropdown menu becomes available. The conditions will depend on the test and selected channel.

Examples are:

  • Avg
  • Max
  • Min
  • Delta 
  • At Start
  • At End

The Sort Ascending button will sort the values in the currently selected column in the Test Results area in alphabetical order from A to Z.

The Sort Descending button will sort the values in the currently selected column in the Test Results area in alphabetical order from Z to A.


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Click on the Select All button to select every run in the Test Results area with one click.

Run -  Deselect All 

Click on the Deselect All button to deselect every run in the Test Results area with one click.

Click on the Deselect All button to deselect every run in the Test Results area with one click.


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Click on the Edit Data button to open the Session Data window and add various vehicle and test information, such as:

VBTS_TyreTraction_SessionData

When in Offline mode, the Session Data will be saved into the VBOX file.  This information will be recalled every time the file is loaded into VBOX Test Suite.

When in Online mode, a newly created session will be populated with session data from the previous session.

To save time, you can import and export the session data for other sessions. When you have completed the Session Data, you can export the data to a .vbses file by clicking on the Export button in the Session Data window. The exported file will contain all the session data and can be imported into another session via the Import button in the Session Data window.


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Click on Help to automatically open an Internet browser and load the relevant section of the User Guide on the Racelogic Support Centre.

If you are creating a new test, the Settings window will open when you add the new test. This is where you can define the test parameters.

If you have already added a test and you have it open, you can click on the Configure button to open the Settings window to define or amend the test parameters.

VBTS_TyreTraction_Settings

The test details will form the header of the report page:
 

Test Request No.

Enter the request number for the test.
 

Date

Enter the test date.
 

Track

Enter the name of the test track.
 

Vehicle

Enter the identification you want to use for the test vehicle. 
 

Vehicle Mass (kg)

Enter the weight of the vehicle mass. This will be used to calculate the force value. Use the arrow buttons next to the value box to increase/decrease the value or click in the value box to type it directly in the box. 
 

Driver

Enter the driver identification. 

 

VBTS_TyreTraction_Settings_TestDetails

The test details will form the header of the report page:
 

Test Request No.

Enter the request number for the test.
 

Date

Enter the test date.
 

Track

Enter the name of the test track.
 

Vehicle

Enter the identification you want to use for the test vehicle. 
 

Vehicle Mass (kg)

Enter the weight of the vehicle mass. This will be used to calculate the force value. Use the arrow buttons next to the value box to increase/decrease the value or click in the value box to type it directly in the box. 
 

Driver

Enter the driver identification. 

 

VBTS_TyreTraction_Settings_TestDetails

Enter the speed that the test will start at. 

Use the arrow buttons next to the value box to increase/decrease the value or click in the value box to type it directly in the box. 

Note:  Do not start this test from zero as this will lead to the presence of noise that occurs at low GPS and wheel speeds.
End Slip (%)

Enter the percentage of slip that the test will end at.

Use the arrow buttons next to the value box to increase/decrease the value or click in the value box to type it directly in the box. 

VBTS_TyreTraction_Settings_TestCondition

Enter the speed that the test will start at. 

Use the arrow buttons next to the value box to increase/decrease the value or click in the value box to type it directly in the box. 

Note:  Do not start this test from zero as this will lead to the presence of noise that occurs at low GPS and wheel speeds.
End Slip (%)

Enter the percentage of slip that the test will end at.

Use the arrow buttons next to the value box to increase/decrease the value or click in the value box to type it directly in the box. 

VBTS_TyreTraction_Settings_TestCondition
Front Left

Choose the channel that the software will use to calculate the speed of the front left wheel.
 

Front Right

Choose the channel that the software will use to calculate the speed of the front right wheel.
 

Rear Left

Choose the channel that the software will use to calculate the speed of the rear left wheel.
 

Rear Right

Choose the channel that the software will use to calculate the speed of the rear right wheel.
 

Driven

The Driven tick boxes specify if the vehicle is front wheel drive, rear wheel drive or 4-wheel drive.Tick one or both to make set your vehicle configuration.
 

Omit Calibration

Tick the Omit Calibration box to make VBOX Test Suite calculate the wheel slip channel from the start of the test without calibration.

VBTS_TyreTraction_Settings_WheelSpeeds
Front Left

Choose the channel that the software will use to calculate the speed of the front left wheel.
 

Front Right

Choose the channel that the software will use to calculate the speed of the front right wheel.
 

Rear Left

Choose the channel that the software will use to calculate the speed of the rear left wheel.
 

Rear Right

Choose the channel that the software will use to calculate the speed of the rear right wheel.
 

Driven

The Driven tick boxes specify if the vehicle is front wheel drive, rear wheel drive or 4-wheel drive.Tick one or both to make set your vehicle configuration.
 

Omit Calibration

Tick the Omit Calibration box to make VBOX Test Suite calculate the wheel slip channel from the start of the test without calibration.

VBTS_TyreTraction_Settings_WheelSpeeds
Slip % Low

Enter a Slip % Low condition that will be the lower limit used in the Area under the curve evaluation.

Use the arrow buttons next to the value box to increase/decrease the value or click in the value box to type it directly in the box. 
 

Slip % High

Enter a Slip % High condition that will be the upper limits used in the Area under the curve evaluation.

Use the arrow buttons next to the value box to increase/decrease the value or click in the value box to type it directly in the box. 

VBTS_TyreTraction_Settings_SlipAnalysis
Slip % Low

Enter a Slip % Low condition that will be the lower limit used in the Area under the curve evaluation.

Use the arrow buttons next to the value box to increase/decrease the value or click in the value box to type it directly in the box. 
 

Slip % High

Enter a Slip % High condition that will be the upper limits used in the Area under the curve evaluation.

Use the arrow buttons next to the value box to increase/decrease the value or click in the value box to type it directly in the box. 

VBTS_TyreTraction_Settings_SlipAnalysis

This setting is an optional channel that is only required if you want to look at the throttle application as part of the test.

If any test run exceeds the set criteria, the run will be highlighted in the results table.
 

Channel

Select which channel the software will reference when calculating the Throttle Rate.

Click on the dropdown arrow to see the list of available channels.
 

Average Low / Average High

To make sure that the tests are undergoing the same rate of throttle application, you can enter the upper and lower limits for the Average of the throttle application.
 

Std Dev Low / Std Dev High

To make sure that the tests are undergoing the same rate of throttle application, you can enter the upper and lower limits for the Standard Deviation of the throttle application.

VBTS_TyreTraction_Settings_ThrottleRatePassConditions

This setting is an optional channel that is only required if you want to look at the throttle application as part of the test.

If any test run exceeds the set criteria, the run will be highlighted in the results table.
 

Channel

Select which channel the software will reference when calculating the Throttle Rate.

Click on the dropdown arrow to see the list of available channels.
 

Average Low / Average High

To make sure that the tests are undergoing the same rate of throttle application, you can enter the upper and lower limits for the Average of the throttle application.
 

Std Dev Low / Std Dev High

To make sure that the tests are undergoing the same rate of throttle application, you can enter the upper and lower limits for the Standard Deviation of the throttle application.

VBTS_TyreTraction_Settings_ThrottleRatePassConditions

You can rename a session tab by double-clicking the tab header. Changing the name on the session tab in the software will automatically change the name of the locally saved VBOX file (.vbo or .vbb).

By pressing the Edit Data button next to the name of the session in the Test Results area or on the Test Setup tab on the ribbon, you can add vehicle and test information to the session.

  • When in Offline mode, this information will be saved into the VBOX file, meaning that this information will be recalled every time the file is loaded into VBOX Test Suite.
  • When in Online mode, a newly created session will be populated with session data from the previous session.

This information will be included in the test report to make it easier to see under what conditions the test was conducted.

To save time, you can import and export the session information for use in other sessions (the entire range of data is exported, not just the visible screen).

Once the session information has been completed, you can export the data to a .vbses file. This file will contain all the session information that can then be imported into the open session information field.

VBTS_TyreTraction_Results

The Test Results area has the following default columns:

Run
Indicates which run number the results relate to, with run one being the first run completed.

There is also a selection box that, when ticked, includes that run in the graph and into the Average/Max/Min/Standard Deviation calculations. Once selected, a coloured square will appear to indicate which colour this run is displayed as on the graph.
 
Note: If you are loading a file in Offline mode, all valid runs will automatically be ticked.
Time (s)
The total time the run has taken.
Distance (m)
The total distance travelled in that run.
Force (Max) (N)
The maximum force experienced during the run.
Slip @ Force Max (%)
The slip % experienced at the maximum force measurement.
Speed (Max) (km/h)
The maximum speed attained during the run.

The software will automatically add columns based on your configured test settings:

Throttle rate Max
The maximum rate of throttle application.

Note: This result is only displayed if a Throttle Rate channel has been selected.
Throttle Rate Average
The average rate of throttle application.

Note: This result is only displayed if a Throttle Rate channel has been selected.
Throttle Rate StdDev
The standard deviation of the rate of throttle application.

Note: This result is only displayed if a Throttle Rate channel has been selected.