Patent ID: 7610685

Claim:
An apparatus that simulates characteristics of a vehicle wheel and tire, the apparatus comprising: a wheel hub member that is removably attachable to a vehicle wheel hub with the vehicle wheel hub having an axis of rotation that defines mutually perpendicular axial and radial directions relative to the wheel hub member when the wheel hub member is attached to the vehicle wheel hub; a wheel width member and a wheel backspacing member that are both operatively connected to the wheel hub member for movement together in radially opposite directions relative to the wheel hub member, the wheel width member and the wheel backspacing member both being movable radially to an adjusted position of the wheel width member and the wheel backspacing member relative to the wheel hub member that corresponds to a radial dimension of a wheel and tire that is mountable on the vehicle wheel hub, and the wheel width member and the wheel backspacing member being connected together for movement in axially opposite directions to an adjusted position of the wheel width member and wheel backspacing member that corresponds to an axial dimension of a wheel and tire that is mountable on the vehicle wheel hub; a wheel diameter member mounted on the wheel hub member for movement in radially opposite directions relative to the wheel hub member; the wheel width member and the wheel backspacing member both being mounted on the wheel diameter member and thereby the wheel width member and the wheel backspacing member being operatively connected to the wheel hub member; and, a tire profile member having a narrow, bendable and resilient length with opposite first and second ends, the length being bent in a general U-shape and the opposite first and second ends being attached over the wheel width member and the wheel backspacing member.