Tire Physics Development Sneak Peek — July 2025

In July 2025, BeamNG GmbH published one of the most technically fascinating devblogs in the game's history: a sneak peek into their ongoing work on the tire physics model.

The Calspan Collaboration

The centrepiece of the devblog was the announcement of a collaboration with Calspan, a world-class tire testing and data-gathering facility in the United States. BeamNG sent a team to Calspan to conduct a vast number of comprehensive tire tests, capturing the nuanced real-world behaviour of different tire types across a multitude of conditions — including some extreme scenarios.

A video recap of the Calspan visit was included in the devblog, showing the testing rigs, data collection equipment, and the sheer scale of the testing program.

What the Data Will Enable

The collaboration produced an enormous volume of detailed tire data covering a wide range of tire types, conditions, and testing scenarios. The immediate focus for the BeamNG team is on improving the calibration methods used to process this data, before using it to refine the tire models themselves.

The specific improvements being targeted include more realistic heat buildup and dissipation, better deformation modelling under load, and more accurate grip transitions between different surface types.

Timeline

The devblog was careful to note that no timeline for these improvements could be given at this stage. The work is research-driven and the team wants to get it right rather than rush it out. This sneak peek was intended purely to be transparent about the development process — something the BeamNG community has consistently appreciated.