Bridgestone Texas Proving Ground, Texas

This large-scale automotive test site, owned and operated by the Bridgestone Tire Company, covers nearly ten square miles. There are eight different tracks here, including a large loop track, to measure tire noise and handling at high speeds; a wet/dry course with skid pad; hydroplane pool; braking traction pad; and a 500,000-square-foot pad for testing high speed traction in exacting water conditions. There are noise vibration and harshness test areas, with potholes, broken asphalt, cracks, manhole covers, and other uneven surfaces that are carefully maintained. The site was opened in 1955, by the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, which was acquired by the Japanese company Bridgestone, in 1988. It is one of four tire company test tracks in western Texas.