Dear Friends,

My sincere apologies for not coming back since end of last year. This New Year has been very hectic for me. So many things coming down on me at the same time and with the whole world falling into recession, I have been taking various courses to upgrade myself. (Whatever little extra money made is always welcome).

Well enough said about me, here is a very interesting article about why despite vehicles tires being made of rubber, they still tend to slip during wet weather.

Majority of races are conducted irregardless of wet weather. Racing drivers normally say, ‘Driving on a rainy day is like driving on ice’.

Today, I asked Mr. Hamashima about grip of tyres when driving on wet roads.

I’m sure many of you, at one time or another, have been shocked as to how easily you have slipped on a steel plate or the platform and stairs of a subway station while walking in rubber sole shoes on a rainy day. Well, the same thing happens to tyres.

The mechanism of slipping is at work when water forms an extremely thin film between the rubber sole or tyres and the road surface, causing frictional force to weaken.”

When trying to wipe away water on a tile floor using a rubber squeegee with all your might, it is difficult to push the squeegee forward if it is wide, but relatively easy if narrow. This is due to water resistance. In the same way, racing tires, which are wider in comparison to regular tires, have a larger resistance against water. Also, because racing cars are light in weight, the water raises the tyres from the road surface. This is a phenomenon called “hydro planning,” a phrase often used as a warning for high-speed driving on wet roads.

So then, how is grip secured under such conditions?

Water must be drained through tread pattern so that water does not sneak under tyres and form a film. This prevents tyres from rising and allows them to stay in contact with the road. Tread pattern must be designed taking account of how quickly water underneath tires can be drained and maintaining a low water resistance. Moreover, the components of tread rubber for wet tires are different from that for dry tires in order to enhance frictional force on wet surfaces. For instance, masking tape does not easily stick to wet surface. So, rubber that sticks better on wet road surface is used to increase friction. Also, as previously explained, good grip is attained through the proper balance between rubber and structure. Therefore, structurally, rubber must be designed so that tyres are able to firmly hold the wet road surface with low friction.

So, tread pattern of rain tyres plays the role of a drain, preventing, as much as possible, water films to be formed. Last year, Bridgestone completed the development of “hydro simulation” system, which made possible the simulation of drainage process and efficiency on the computer. This technology has enabled drainage tests, only possible through actual driving in the past, to be conducted on the computer, and greatly enhanced the speed of development of wet tyres. F1 wet tyres, introduced from this race season, were also designed using this “hydro simulation” technology, and both Ferrari and McLaren cooperated in the actual driving tests to verify the relativity of data obtained by simulation and through actual driving.

That’s all for now but I promise that I will be back with more exciting articles real soon & this time I mean it. Before I sign off here is a Great Offer that you would not be able to resist.

Bye for now and drive safely.

Cheers!!!