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November 4, 2004 From The Dirt to The Street: How Off-Road Racing Translates to a Consumer Las Vegas, NV Many people would find it surprising to learn that numerous technologies developed for off-road motorsports have found their way into the mainstream, and are used by consumers every day. World's Toughest Off-Road Tires… No question: tires are key to a vehicle's performance. Having the World's Toughest Off-Road Tires will help a pick-up truck or sport utility vehicle (SUV) accomplish almost any mission. Since 1976, BFGoodrich® Tires has been using off-road racing as a proving ground to test new designs and technologies that have found their way into today's pick-up and SUV tires. One example is the All-Terrain T/A®KO tire. BFGoodrich Tires began testing the All-Terrain T/A tire in 1976 by racing in the SCORE desert racing series. Today, the All-Terrain T/AKO tire has gained a reputation as one of the toughest tires and consequently one of the most popular. From its three-layer Tri-Gard™ sidewall to its use of unique rubber compounds, the lessons learned off-road are helping today's consumer take their vehicle to the limit and beyond. Never lose your keys again… Global positioning technology, commonly referred to as "GPS" in the consumer arena, was perfected in desert racing. Global positioning is used by teams and organizers to plan out the course of a race, including pit stops, waypoints and routes. Global positioning technology allows drivers to prepare virtual course-notes, which in turn allows them to know what type of terrain they are entering and how they need to orient their vehicle. Virtual course notes increase not only vehicle speeds, but the overall safety of competitors as well. The technology developed in desert racing has found a home with everything from cargo shipping — providing the ability to locate a container anywhere in the world — to business travelers who rent a car with built-in GPS to help find their way through an unfamiliar city. Conquer the urban jungle… BFGoodrich® Tires' All-Terrain T/A®KO, the world's most popular off-road and light truck tire, was developed from the brands' first foray into the off-road arena in 1976. Improvements have been made almost continually to the tire since then, with all successful enhancements found in motorsports being transferred directly to consumer applications. The extremely capable tread and sidewall construction that was developed to conquer the desert now can be found conquering the urban jungle. These motorsports-derived tire features are equally at home protecting the tire from the deep grit and rocks of the desert as well as the curb-rash and potholes of daily, bump-and-grind commuting. Breathe easy… The fresh air supply systems now ever-present in high-octane professional motorsports, including Formula 1, were introduced and developed in desert racing. Due to the high amounts of dust and debris generated in desert racing, as well as the increased temperatures inherent to the desert, a unique apparatus was developed to deliver fresh, clean air to the driver via a small tube integrated into the helmet. An entire industry has developed from this singular invention and has progressed to the point that hot-headed drivers now can opt for air-conditioned clothing. Everyone loves travel… The extreme demands placed on the suspension of off-road racing vehicles have benefited nearly every form of automotive motorsports. In order to manage the speed and terrain variation of desert racing, suspension components — specifically shock absorbers — have evolved to withstand awesome punishment at incredible speeds, yet still deliver an amazing 36-inches of travel. The knowledge gained through designing shock absorbers to such lofty standards has found a home in numerous other motorsports, including endurance and enthusiast formats. |
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