Milford Proving Grounds

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General Motors' Milford Proving Grounds was the industry's first dedicated automobile testing facility when it opened in 1924. It is located in Milford, Michigan and covers 4,000 acres. 4,800 staff work in its 107 buildings today. The proving ground includes the equivalent of 132 mi (212 km) of highway-quality roads for vehicle testing. Some roads are open only to drivers who have passed special performance driving training.

Facilities:

  • The VDTA ("Vehicle Dynamics Test Area"), also known as "Black Lake", is a 67 acre pad of blacktop for vehicle dynamics testing. Waterfowl have been known to try to land on this "lake" of asphalt. At the ends of the VDTA are two semicircle tracks used for accelerating vehicles up to high speed before entering the pad. A controlled low-friction area made of ceramic tiles is on one side of the pad. Another area is coated with the asphalt sealant Jennite and can be watered down to produce a low friction surface.
  • The Oval Track is a 3.8 mi (6.1 km) circuit
  • The Circle Track encloses the VDTA and is a 4.5 mi(7.2 km) banked circle. It has five lanes posted with speed limits increasing towards the outermost lane. The speed limit for the outermost lane is 120 MPH (103  km/h). Due to the banking, each lane can be driven at its posted speed all the way around the circle without needing to touch the steering wheel, given proper wheel alignment and tire pressures. The track surface is extremely hard "dolomite" concrete for wear resistance.
  • The North/South Straightaway is 6.225 mi (10 km) miles in total length and includes two 2.5 mi (4 km) straightaways
  • The East/West Straightaway is 3.1 mi (5 km) miles around and includes two 1.2 mi (1.9 km) straightaways
  • "Seven Sisters" is a short course featuring seven tight curves, some level, some banked. It is one lane that can be driven in both directions, so only one car is allowed on the course at a time. This is used for testing vehicles under transient lateral acceleration loads.
  • 12 Mile Road is a straight section of pavement which duplicates the historical surface texture of a section of 12 Mile Road near Detroit.
  • The Ride and Handling loop encloses the Circle Track and has varied surfaces and turns.
  • The Vehicle Safety & Crashworthiness Lab includes a recently added rollover test facility.

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