Why Tyres Are Black In Color?

With so many colors in the rainbow, do you ever wonder why tyres are always just plain black? Cars themselves come in dozens of hues, but not tyres.

Custom White Tyre

Tyre History

Tyres have been around for a very long time and over the decades they have gone through innumerable changes owing to innovation and technology. It began with wooden wheels, then came the metal ones, and then a little advancement to this was bands of iron placed on the wooden wheels for stability. Then, in 1895 the first rubber tyres were invented. Since the original color of rubber is milky white these tyres were white. So, those black tyres that you see today were originally white.

Why Black Tyres?

More than a century ago in the 1880s when cars were invented, they had white rubber tyres on them. As automobiles started developing more and more, it was found that the white rubber tyres weren’t able to provide the required durability.

Although the natural color of rubber is milky white, the black color we see was originally caused by soot. The soot was thought to increase the durability of the tyre along with cotton threads, which were inserted in order to reduce heat and increase stability. As a result, tyre manufacturers began adding soot to the tyre compounds to improve the lifespan of the tyres.

Years later, automotive innovations increased, vehicles became more modern and so did the tyre technology. A new compound carbon black was found, which proved to dramatically improve the durability of the tyres. It is used as a stabilising chemical, which is combined with other polymers to create the tread compound of a tyre. Once added to the rubber, carbon black increases the strength and durability of the tyres, which is understandably seen as a desirable trait for tyre manufacturers and car drivers.

How does carbon black actually help?

Carbon black significantly increases the stiffness and the strength of the tyres when combined with the other polymers used to manufacture a tyre. Strength, durability, handling and wear are seen as the most desirable traits by car drivers and tyre makers.

It is also an excellent heat conductor, allowing tyres to move heat away from the contact patch, balancing the overall temperature across the tyre. Again, this helps keep deformation down and ensure a smoother driving experience.

Yet another reason for Black Tyres!

The black color of the tyre is a practical choice where cleaning matters are concerned. If tyres were lighter in color, it would be hard to keep them looking clean and nice. You might spend hours getting off the smears and smudges after a long road trip.

Tyres could be considered as the most important part of your vehicle as they affect almost every performance factor from handling and acceleration to braking and ride comfort. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that black tyres are the most popular manufactured ones because of the increased safety and durability that they provide.