Tire building method comprising the step of: - providing a choice, preferably to an operator via a user interface, between a production mode for building a tire component and a test mode for obtaining test measurements, wherein the choice is provided prior to executing the test mode; wherein the test mode comprises the steps of: - providing a cylindrical measurement surface (30, 130, 230) extending concentrically about a central axis; - helically winding a continuous test strip in a plurality of windings about said central axis onto the cylindrical measurement surface (30, 130, 230), wherein one or more windings of the plurality of windings of the test strip has a pitch in an axial direction parallel to the central axis that is greater than a width of the test strip in the same axial direction in said one or more windings; and - obtaining test measurements from at least one of the windings of the one or more windings of the test strip; wherein the production mode comprises the step of: - building a tire component from a production strip on a production surface using one or more building parameters; wherein the method further comprises the steps of first executing the test mode and then executing the production mode, wherein at least one of the one or more building parameters is set after completing the test mode and prior to the building of the tire component based on the test measurements of the test strip. - providing a choice, preferably to an operator via a user interface, between a production mode for building a tire component and a test mode for obtaining test measurements, wherein the choice is provided prior to executing the test mode; wherein the test mode comprises the steps of: - providing a cylindrical measurement surface (30, 130, 230) extending concentrically about a central axis; - helically winding a continuous test strip in a plurality of windings about said central axis onto the cylindrical measurement surface (30, 130, 230), wherein one or more windings of the plurality of windings of the test strip has a pitch in an axial direction parallel to the central axis that is greater than a width of the test strip in the same axial direction in said one or more windings; and - obtaining test measurements from at least one of the windings of the one or more windings of the test strip; - providing a cylindrical measurement surface (30, 130, 230) extending concentrically about a central axis; - helically winding a continuous test strip in a plurality of windings about said central axis onto the cylindrical measurement surface (30, 130, 230), wherein one or more windings of the plurality of windings of the test strip has a pitch in an axial direction parallel to the central axis that is greater than a width of the test strip in the same axial direction in said one or more windings; and - obtaining test measurements from at least one of the windings of the one or more windings of the test strip; wherein the production mode comprises the step of: - building a tire component from a production strip on a production surface using one or more building parameters; - building a tire component from a production strip on a production surface using one or more building parameters; wherein the method further comprises the steps of first executing the test mode and then executing the production mode, wherein at least one of the one or more building parameters is set after completing the test mode and prior to the building of the tire component based on the test measurements of the test strip.