Why are tyres black?

While you can get tyres in different colours (let's call them novelty tyres) the majority of tyres you will see are the same standard black, but why black? Cars come in many colours so why not the tyres?

The first tyres produced were entirely white due to the added component; zinc oxide. Along with other chemicles, zinc oxide was added to increase traction but had the side effect of making the tyre completely white. As the market shifted towards mass produced vehicles for the general public, people needed tyres to last longer. By adding carbon black to the tread area, it created a more durable surface whilst retaining the cheap production costs of a completely white tyre. This hailed the creation of the white wall tyre.

So why, in particular, is Carbon Black added? Well it does many things. It dramatically extends the life of a tyre (which is why all manufacturers add it) and resists the effect of Ozone and UV light which can prematurely age your tyre (have you ever seen your tyres start to crack and craze? That is called rot and means the tyres need to be replaced)

How does it work? Carbon Black reacts with Ozone and UV to produce heat, this causes the tyre to expand and then when it cools it will contract, this causes less damage to the tyre than if the Ozone and UV light directly attacked the molecules of the tyre compound. Now Carbon Black will not last forever, you can see this on old tyres when they start to go grey in colour, tyres will also still start to crack and rot but at a much slower pace.

So if you have seen that your tyres are starting to turn a nice shade of grey and the tread or the side walls are starting to crack, call Hometyre on 0800 783 93 10 and we will come to you