The objective of this research is to provide an in-depth analysis of the contact patch behavior of a specific passenger car tire. A Michelin P205/60R15 tire was used for this study. Understanding the way the tire interacts with the road at various loads, inflation pressures and driving conditions is essential to optimizing tire and vehicle performance. The footprint shape and stress distribution pattern are very important factors that go into assessing the tire's rate of wear, the vehicle's fuel economy and has a major effect on the vehicle stability and control, especially under severe maneuvers. In order to study the contact patch phenomena and analyze these stresses more closely, a finite element (FE) tire model which includes detailed tread pattern geometry has been developed, using a novel reverse engineering process. In order to validate this model, an experimental process has been developed to obtain the footprint shape and contact pressure distribution. The differences between the experimental and the simulation results are discussed and compared. The validated finite element model is then used for predicting the 3D stress distribution fields at the contact patch. The predictive capabilities of the finite element tire model are also explored in order to predict the handling characteristics of the test tire under different maneuvers such as pure cornering and pure braking. / Master of Science / The objective of this research is to study how the tire interacts with the road and how this “interaction” affects vehicle and tire performance. When the tire is in contact with the ground, the region of the tire that is in contact with the surface is referred to as the “tire contact patch” or the “tire footprint”. A Michelin tire was used in order to study this “footprint phenomena”. The effects of weight, tire pressure and different driving conditions (such as braking and cornering) have a very significant impact on the footprint phenomena. The footprint shape, size and pressure distribution pattern are very important factors that go into assessing the tire’s rate of wear, the vehicle’s fuel economy and has a major effect on the vehicle stability, especially under severe maneuvers. As conducting large scale experiments to study this phenomenon is expensive and difficult, simulation methods (such as the finite element method) are used to create tire simulation models as it is provides a way for tire engineers to study the contact patch and make design changes much more quickly and efficiently. In order to check the veracity of the simulation results, a simple and cost effective experimental process has been developed to obtain the footprint shape and contact pressure distribution. The differences between the experimental and the simulation results are discussed and compared. The validated finite element tire model is then explored to see how well it predicts this “footprint phenomena’ at different driving conditions such as cornering and braking.