This extra phase of design evolution pushed the project timeline, but it was what it took to reach the best possible tire for the BFGoodrich driver — a cost that’s always worth it. The tread pattern was thoughtfully redesigned, and the prototypes that were made from it met the noise specs they set. Other tests came back, the design passed, and the contract was completed.
Step 5: Build Build Build
“During the testing phase, we’re only working on a couple of sizes. So once you get to that final sign-off on the tire design. When we know we can make the tires and meet the specs, the design becomes fixed, and we start working on replicating that design for all the different sizes we want to offer consumers. Often, over 40 sizes need to be optimized. In this phase, the project gets a lot bigger. More people come on board to create designs, molds, and pre-production tires for all remaining sizes.”
Those pre-production tires (one step farther along than development tires) are created in three waves. First, it’s 15 that get robustly tested, then 25 double-check the results from the first batch. Finally, a set of 50 tires are made for final triple-checking and official sign-off. This layered, rigorous process confirms that the tire’s design can replicate its test results with consistency, meeting the performance standards each time. With these waves of tests passed, the tire is ready to move into production mode, and eventually, a full-fledged launch.