7 interesting facts about car tires

A little earlier we already consideredwhy it is important to change tires with the onset of the season. Let's take a look at some of the tire details this time. Chances are, you know most of these facts, but you should still think about them. So here are seven interesting facts.

1 Rubber color

In 50-60, it was considered exclusive to equip a car with white tires (or white inserts). This gave the classic car charm.

In fact, the natural color of tires is white. Car manufacturers add carbon particles to the rubber. This is done out of the need to increase the working life of the product, and also to improve the properties of the tires.

2 Recycling

Motorists who care about the safety (of their own and their passengers), monitor the condition of tires and carry out timely replacement with new ones. Because of this, a large number of unusable tires accumulate. Some in the private sector use them as a front garden fence.

In many countries, there are factories for the recycling of used tires. The raw materials are not disposed of by incineration. In some cases, it is used to make asphalt. Others recycle tires into organic fertilizers. Some factories use this raw material to produce new rubber.

3 Largest manufacturer

As strange as it may sound, but most of the tires are made by the Lego company. For the manufacture of small parts of their designers, rubber is used. And the products are also called car tires.

Thanks to this, according to statistics, the largest supplier of tires is the company that produces children's toys. In one year, 306 million mini tires leave the production line.

4 First pneumatic tire

The first inner tube tire appeared in 1846 by Scottish inventor Robert William Thomson. After his death Thomson (1873), its development was forgotten.

The idea was revived 15 years later. The inventor was again the Scotsman - John Boyd Dunlop. This is the name given to the discoverer of the pneumatic tire. The idea to equip the car with such a tire came about when Dunlop put a rubber hose on the metal rim of his son's bike and blew it with air.

5 Inventor of vulcanization

In 1839, Charles Goodyear discovered the rubber hardening process. For 9 years, the American inventor tried to stabilize the process by conducting various experiments, but he never achieved the ideal effect. One experiment involved mixing rubber and sulfur on a hot plate. As a result of a chemical reaction, a solid lump was formed at the site of contact.

6 First spare wheel

The idea to equip the car with a spare wheel belongs to the Davis brothers (Tom and Voltaire). Until 1904, no automaker fitted their products with an extra wheel. The innovators were inspired by the opportunity to complete all the cars in the series.

The idea was so relevant that they spread their products not only to the American but also to the European market. The first car with a factory-fitted spare wheel was the Rambler. The idea was so popular that some cars had two spare wheels.

7 alternative spare wheel

To date, in an effort to make cars lighter, manufacturers have removed the standard spare tire (5th wheel, identical in size) from their models. In most cases, it was replaced by a stowaway (a thin wheel of the corresponding diameter). On it you can get to the nearest tire service.

Some automakers have gone even further - they have completely ruled out the possibility of even using a stowaway. Instead of a spare wheel, a set for quick vulcanization is included in the car. You can buy such a set yourself (popularly called "laces") at a reasonable price.