Developing tire compounds is like baking bread. It takes just a few basic ingredients mixed together to make the basic recipe. Flour, water, yeast and sugar in the right amount and order will give you basic white bread. But it’s up to the chef to add in the extras, like sweeteners, seeds and butter, to create his own, unique recipe.
You can think of commercial truck tires in the same way. It all starts with a mixture of mostly natural rubber and/or some synthetic rubber, filler materials (typically carbon black and silica), waxes and oils as well as various chemical additives that promote elasticity, eco-friendliness and durability.
For a look at how these come together to create different tires for different applications, watch the video above.