When a new vehicle is being created or developed, many technical parameters that affect dynamic characteristics must be investigated not only on a theoretical level, but also by natural experiments. Especially one of the most important characteristics for a vehicle that can tilt is tire–road contact, which later helps to calculate and simulate different driving conditions in different driving scenarios, applying internal and external forces. This paper presents a unique construction of a three-wheeled tilting vehicle prototype, tire–road contact determination, and evaluation of vehicle behaviour using the Pacejka tire model. To achieve this, the tire and road surface area were investigated. Using the computed method, experimentally determined contact areas were refined and compared with the actual measured. Determined tire–road contact areas were evaluated by applying dynamic external forces for further investigation. Selected a scenario to predict the behavior of a three-wheeled tilting vehicle and the force distribution during tilting, then determined certain vehicle parameters in the static position (load distribution, tire–road contact areas). The inclusion of asymmetric front-left and front-right tire loads under tilt resulted in observable differences in force distribution. The inner front tire unloaded while the outer tire gained load, introducing asymmetry in both lateral and longitudinal forces. This behaviour was not captured in the symmetric model.
Navikas et al. (2026) studied this question.