Becoming a subjective test driver
How does one become a subjective test driver? After a career in the military, Cédric joined Michelin in 2005. He occupied various technical and testing functions, always specialised in trucks. “And two years ago, because I had all the necessary skills, I was offered the job as a subjective test driver to replace someone who left. Our job is to participate in the development of new products: every new type of tyre must be tested internally.”
To do that, you have objective and subjective test drivers. Objective testers conduct specific manoeuvres repeatedly with measuring equipment on board. This is a necessary step so that every tyre model can be approved for regulatory compliance. “As for us subjective drivers, our job is to put ourselves in the user’s shoes. We check things like adherence and balance, for example by driving in circles on a wet track. But we also record highly subjective notions such as acoustic comfort.”
In their reports, they indicate what they felt - whether they noticed something unusual - even inner ear sensations. These observations are then used to exchange with the engineering team about improvements or modifications.
A highly versatile position
Because subjective testing is so specific, Cédric and his colleague establish their own testing protocols. They propose relevant manoeuvres with a list of criteria to check and targets to meet. “We work on improving existing tyres, but we also test prototypes, like the ones being developed for hydrogen and electric vehicles. This means we always have to use lots of different vehicles.”
That’s one of the fun things about his job, he says. For example, he got to drive military prototypes worth millions, but also cranes, 4x4s, tankers, and trucks of all sizes. “All vehicles over 3.5 tons fall under our jurisdiction. We’re like the Swiss army knives of test drivers. We have to manage everything ourselves: design methodologies, conducting the tests, renting or buying new vehicles as often as we can, etc.…”
Accompanying the evolution of tyres
Testing tyres can seem like a repetitive job. But it is, in fact, constantly changing because tyres are evolving fast, especially with the rise of alternative energy propulsion. For electric and hydrogen vehicles, reduced rolling resistance means additional battery life. Tyre performance is more crucial than ever! Another factor is that batteries are very heavy, which changes things when it comes to tyre pressure and wear.
Summing up what his job is all about, Cédric says that a test driver is very different from being a racing pilot. “We don’t race against each other, we share knowledge. We are sometimes compared to œnologists, because we’re experts on the specificities of tyres”!
