Overview
ISO 16392:2017 - Tyres - Electrical resistance - Test method for measuring electrical resistance of tyres on a test rig - defines a laboratory test procedure to measure the electrical resistance of pneumatic and solid tyres under load on a test rig. The standard addresses how to quantify a tyre’s ability to dissipate static charge from a vehicle (tyre electrical resistance) and specifies procedures, equipment and environmental conditioning so results are reproducible and comparable. It also includes informative annexes for on-vehicle measurement and simplified production-control testing.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Test scope: Applicable to pneumatic and solid tyres; measurements performed on a tyre-wheel assembly on a conductive loading plate (test rig).
- Measurement purpose: Electrical resistance is used as an inverse measure of a tyre’s capacity to dissipate static charge from the vehicle.
- Equipment essentials: Use a commercial resistance-measuring instrument with an appropriately high-voltage source, controlled power dissipation, and the ability to measure across the resistance range specified in the standard. The metal loading plate must be conductive and corrosion-resistant; insulating sheets are used between plate and base.
- Conditioning and environment: Tyres are conditioned before testing (typical ambient temperature ~25 °C, relative humidity ≤60 %); conditioning time depends on tyre type (shorter for passenger tyres, longer for heavy/industrial tyres).
- Test procedure: Load a mounted, inflated tyre to a specified test load (standard prescribes percent of maximum tyre load and corresponding inflation pressure), perform preload cycles, apply test voltage while loaded, and record resistance after a set time. Multiple circumferential locations are measured; the highest recorded value is reported as the tyre’s resultant electrical resistance.
- Reporting: Test report should include individual measurements, highest value, applied voltage, cleaning agents used, wheel material, ambient conditions, tyre size, test load and inflation pressure, rim information, and optionally manufacturer and production data.
- Annexes: Annex A lists limit values (ohms) for dissipative vs conductive tyres; Annex B covers vehicle-mounted measurement; Annex C gives simplified production-control conditions.
Applications and who uses it
ISO 16392:2017 is used by:
- Tyre manufacturers for design validation and production control (quality assurance).
- Automotive OEMs and fleet operators concerned with static dissipation in vehicles (e.g., fuel-handling or sensitive-electronics environments).
- Testing laboratories and certification bodies performing compliance and type approval testing.
- Industrial equipment and agricultural vehicle manufacturers specifying conductive/dissipative tyres for specialized applications.
- Regulators and procurement teams that require documented electrical-resistance performance for safety or EMC considerations.
Keywords: ISO 16392:2017, tyre electrical resistance, test method, pneumatic tyres, solid tyres, test rig, static charge dissipation, dissipative tyres, conductive tyres, production control.
Related standards
Standards referenced by ISO 16392 include ISO 2878 (antistatic/conductive rubber testing) and general tyre/rim series (ISO 4000, ISO 4250, etc.), plus ISO/IEC 17025 for test laboratory competence. For exact test voltages, resistance ranges and limit values, consult the full ISO 16392:2017 document.