Barack Obama the current President of the United States has lambasted Detroit’s Big 3 automakers again for manufacturing SUVs. He attacked the car companies for making the “mistake” of investing in SUVs and large trucks instead of producing more fuel-efficient vehicles. (Extract of article: Obama initiates Car Wars By Michelle Malkin  •  September 23, 2008 11:58 AM

Hi There, Welcome Back!!

Today I would be talking about the durability of tires. What is the relationship between performance and durability of tyres?

Durability of tires has various aspects, but the most fundamental is to make tyres that do not ‘break. For instance, in the 24-hour Le Mans racing, cars speed the famous straight of Eunodiere at over 350 kilometers per hour. Here, heavy loads are applied to tyres, such as centrifugal force, aerodynamic down force, and heat generated from running. Therefore, tires must be developed so that they can endure such harsh conditions. Bridgestone supplies racing tyres which have passed several driving conditions created by the high speed drum testing machine at speeds of 400 to 500 km per hour.

500 km per hour is extremely fast! I suppose this is because tires must guarantee high durability in supporting racing cars running at ultra high speed.

Natural rubber will deteriorate, just by being exposed to mere light or air. Rubber used for tyres is even more apt to deteriorate as it has constant inputs, such as heat generated through running and road-contact. Therefore, it is important to improve durability of the rubber itself, along with the structure of tires. Specifically, we make a microanalysis of the rubber and design molecules in order to enhance durability to fight against the dispensation of Nature, such as abrasion and deterioration. Moreover, the tread is designed to an optimal thickness in order to prevent it from being blistered by generated or accumulated heat. If the tread is too thick, then it will be too pliable and affect steering. If it is too thin, the life of tyres will be shortened due to abrasion.

Aha! There is more to the development of tires than what we see on the surface.

But, is performance of tyres related to their durability?

Yes, the two are related. As explained earlier, over-steering is a situation in which the rear tires slide more than the front. In such a case, rear tyres are apt to become heated above proper temperature range, which causes grip to weaken due to degradation of rubber in terms of molecules. This results in the so-called ‘heat-drip,’ which affects durability, an important performance of tires. In an under-steering situation, this problem occurs in front tyres instead. In this way, the steering characteristics of a racing car and durability of its tyres are deeply related. Since, it is impossible to strike a complete balance between front and rear tires and attain a perfect steering, in order to minimize the loss of durability of tyres, anti-aging agent is added to the rubber so that the characteristics of the rubber, or compound, are maintained.

That’s all from me today, be sure to check out the great offers and various sites on my blog and don’t forget to get your free e-books that are featured here,

Take care and see you the next time.

Gurdip