Why are car tyres always black?

By dpa | 25 August 2017


BERLIN: For all the technical progress and changes made since the invention of the automobile, one thing seems to have always remained the same, even to this day: Car tyres are still black.

Why is that? And are they really always black?

Car tyres are usually black because soot is mixed in during the production process, explains TÜV, a German safety inspection agency.

The main component in tyres is, of course, rubber, which is soft and sticky when the tyres are being produced.

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The addition of soot during vulcanization – the caking process to turn rubber into a solid substance – ensures that the tyre is made to the correct hardness, and also improves its abrasion resistance.

This process was developed by Charles Goodyear in 1839 and has remained the preferred method to this day.

While white-sided tires have also been produced over the years, and have proved popular with vintage car lovers, they also always have a black tread.

In any case, light-coloured tyres are unlikely to penetrate the market anytime soon because dirt from streets and roads would quickly make them look unsightly.

The production of coloured, or at least colour-printed, tyres is certainly technically possible these days, and they are sometimes seen in the tuning-car scene.

But there is still a lack of broad acceptance for the idea.

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