HOW IT WORKS

"To measure tire-to-road friction, tire slip must be created in either a controlled manner or an uncontrolled manner".

DashbiardIceChek utilizes a fifth (independent)  wheel which slips  continuously, just enough to allow us to measure the friction. This enables the equipment to produce a continuous data stream of incremental friction readings without interruption.

This method of measuring friction involves wearing out test tires but the tire-life is reasonable considering the invaluable data obtained. Wear-rate depends on the surface to a certain extent. As the friction of the road increases, the angle of yaw decreases so that the wear-rate of the test tire is kept to a minimum but expect to change the test tire at 4500 kilometers when driving in a mixture of icy conditions and dry pavement conditions.

Icechek employs a multi-directional suspension linkage to absorb shocks. Many other CFME manufacturers employ test wheels which move up and down but have no resiliency in the sideways direction. Many of those designs were originally used for monitoring pavement in above-freezing conditions, usually at speeds of 40 miles per hour or less, and therefore did not take into consideration the need to withstand an accidental sideways skid of the testing vehicle.


 

This resiliency in multiple directions furthermore allows the  components to be lighter and keeps the vibration-level down. Due to its reduced size and weight, Icechek can be mounted on many common trucks without modification of the vehicle. For under-the-vehicle mounting it is recommended to use a 2004 or later Ford longbox F-150 truck. Other longbox (8-feet) trucks may require modification of the pickup truck box. Shortbox trucks may have inadequate ground clearance for under-the-vehicle mounting.