Tire characteristic retention technologies

It's no secret that tires lose their characteristics as they wear out. The main problem, of course, is the degradation of characteristics on wet pavement. As the tread decreases, the negative profile of the tire and its ability to drain water also decrease. Manufacturers try to slow down this process, but in a tire, everything is interconnected, and if you increase the tread, the handling suffers due to the high tread blocks and their stability.

A elegant solution was devised in truck tires. A special lug called the "water drop" has a rounded or triangular shape at its base, and as it wears out, this lug opens up. In essence, once it reaches a critical point, the tread is renewed. Of course, this does not preserve the characteristics at the same level, but it allows for safe operation of the tire until the maximum wear.

 

Having proven itself in the truck segment, this technology has also been transferred to passenger car tires, where it solves the same problems. Considering the complexity of manufacturing molds and the special rubber compound that allows for safe extraction without damage after vulcanization, this technology is only available in premium brands. So far, this technology has been noticed in products from Goodyear and Michelin manufacturers.

It is worth reminding that some manufacturers give recommendations for replacing tires before they reach the maximum wear, to the indicators. Mostly, everyone agrees that summer tires should be replaced not at 1.6 mm, but at 3 mm. Then the tire will be able to provide the necessary level of safety on wet pavement.