Why are tyres black

[Cleggy the Spyder Man]

Would it not be nice to see yellow wheels on your westy? ok the answer is perhaps no, but why do they make tyres in any colour you like as long as it is black?

A more stupid thought through my tiny brain there has never been  

[FW500]

You need white lines on the road to tell you which side you're supposed to drive, and yellow lines to tell you where you can't park. If Westy driving thugs had all sorts of coloured tyres the roads would look like a confusing mess.

[Norman Verona]

Because the compound is black?

Like why is oil brown?

Oh, because they put a dye in it. Synthetic oil is clear and colourless. There's a brand over here that's white.

White! That's it. Why not have white walled tyres, that's a good idea.  

HM wants pink ones. I told her they were pink but she meant tyres.

[barney]

The major factor degrading tires and other synthetic and rubber products is ozone, an odorless gas which is part of the air we breath. When combined with ultraviolet light (the invisible part of sunlight) a reaction occurs that attacks the tire polymer.

   To protect against ozone and UV damage, a stabilizer molecule called a “competitive absorber” is blended with the tire polymer. Competitive absorbers work by capturing and absorbing UV radiation and converting it to heat which is dissipated harmlessly. All tire manufacturers use the same competitive absorber, carbon black. This is why all tires are black...why tires are not available in designer colors.

   These absorbers are sacrificial; they expend themselves in performing their function of changing UV to heat. As carbon black loses it’s ability to perform, it turns gray. This is one reason why black tires discolor as they age.

   To protect from further ozone damage, tire manufacturers add a wax compound to their formulas. Tires flex when they are in motion, causing the wax molecules to migrate to the surface. This forms a protective barrier between the air (ozone and oxygen) and the tire polymer. In the tire trade this is called “blooming”.

   When tires are parked for extended periods, blooming does not occur and ozone starts attacking the polymer. With UV light and ozone working in concert, the degradation is accelerated, resulting in drying, discoloration and cracking.

googled....  

[stephenh]

Gosh!          

[david.c]

Well I never      

David

[matt_c]

I have seen red tyres on a car at the autosport show.

[greenandmean]

Just run that past me again Barney  

[BigDaveUK]

you can get tyres that are black but produce coloured smoke      

[RedditchJay]

i like black..... works for me

[Jackv4]

cleggy buy a bike and you can have these

lovely

   johny

[sport 2000 Dan]

Good link Johny,

I did some work with Michelin a few years ago and they said that they produce tyres in all colours, all over the world, but they have held back because the market is not ready in the uk and this conclusion was from the market research they have carried out.

I think that the US have all sorts of couloured tyres (there's a supprise!!!)

[Cleggy the Spyder Man]

Ok so not as stupid a thought as I thought it was  

[pistonbroke2]

QUOTE

cleggy buy a bike and you can have these  

And what in Gods name where you searching for

when you found that site.      

[Xtreme Kermit]

All tire manufacturers use the same competitive absorber, carbon black.

Have you ever come across carbon black before?

I worked with the stuff once on a PCV manufacturing plant...

Even though you washed the black off, and then washed it off again - it was so fine it got in your pores.

So you go out clubbing for the night - and turn black as it comes back out of your pores - not a good look