Tyres - Additional Information

A look at the homepage on the subject of tyres, shows that they are made up of a variety of materials, which are sensitive to damage. Often these can't be seen from the outside. Also the ultimate damage must not always crop up on the place where the original damage occured. If e.g., water enters through a flaw in the tread, the corrosion can travel through the steel wires and cause a protector separation at a different place.

The above picture shows how not to treat the tyres. The vehicle is parked, perhaps for hours, with the flank directly on the kerb so that a buckling can be seen. Simply driving up a kerb like this, could be enough to cause a slit in the carcass. If one considers the fact that someone is going to be driving this vehicle at high speeds on the motorway where he/she must rely on the tyres functioning perectly ...

For the layman, the contact surface is what is seen first, which with the tread, provides for the quick displacement of water when driving in rain. The influence of the rubber compound is mostly underestimated. The layer under the tread is called the 'base' and is important for the rigidity and therefore for the rolling resistance. The steel-wire layers are vital for the overall stability of the contact surface. Above them, nylon strips are placed to ensure good cohesion at high speeds.

Although the side-wall (flank) of a motor car tyre only has rayon and no steel in its foundation, it must nonetheless be able to e.g., withstand driving errors (see above). The tread core stretches from the side to the beading. Together with the side-wall foundation, the beading strengthener and the outer layer of rubber, a compromise between driving stability and comfort is targeted. The beading provides for a solid seating of the tyre on the rim. Also important is the airtight inside coating which has replaced the former inner-tubes. 04/07