Note : Tyre vs. Tire. For British motorists, the rubber wheel-covering is called a tyre – for the Americans, it’s a tire.
Although the natural color of rubber is milky white, the black color we see is because of carbon black.
Actually, Carbon Black is not added as a coloring agent, it is a filler.
Vulcanized rubber does not have very good wear resistance and hence a tire made of pure vulcanized rubber would wear out soon.
Carbon Black also increases the damping properties of rubber, thus transferring less shock loads to the automobile.
In addition to this Carbon Black is a good conductor of heat and would help conduct heat away from the surface with contact to the road and help maintain a healthy tire temperature.
An added bonus is that the addition of carbon black increases the coefficient of friction with the road surface thus making it safer to drive.
READ: All about tires, what is the meaning of numbers on the Tyre? What is inside the Tyre?
READ: Noisy Tires?
READ: Learn How to Read Your Tire Sidewall
Quick Links:
- Tire Expiry and the Tire Experts
- Time to learn Tire Terms
- ALL ABOUT TIRES, WHAT IS THE MEANING OF NUMBERS ON THE TYRE? WHAT IS INSIDE THE TYRE?
- WHEN TO PUT YOUR VEHICLE IN 4-WHEEL DRIVE?
- WHEELS: PARTS, SIZES, BOLT PATTERNS, WHEEL OFFSET, ONE-PIECE VS TWO-PIECE WHEEL AND HOW THEY MADE
- THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO RUN FLAT TIRES
- NOISY TIRES?
- KNOWING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CAR TIRE ROTATION VS ALIGNMENT
- GEAR RATIO AND TIRE SIZE CHART
- HOW TO RESET TIRE PRESSURE SENSOR: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE