From simple bands of leathers to iron fitted around wooden wheels by a skilled wheelwright in those ancient times to modern-day radial tyres that can move and carry any automotive load on them, be it a humble bicycle or an aircraft, tyres have travelled a long way. In short, they have revolutionized transportation and the way the world moves around. They come in various types and sizes, are custom-built for different seasons and terrains, and serve various purposes – ranging from light-medium duty to heavy-duty and from regular performance to high-performance tyres with speeds up to 300 kmph.
When we talk of tyres Southampton, we invariably mean pneumatic or air-filled or inflated rubber tyres used in automobiles – bicycles, motorcycles, cars, buses, trucks, mobile weapon systems and aircraft. Rubber – both natural and synthetic rubber – fabric and wire, carbon black and other chemical compounds go into their making.
The basic function of this ring-shaped automobile component is to transfer the load of a vehicle from the axel through the wheels to the ground and provide traction – the force required to generate motion – on the surface the wheels travel. In other words, tyres make a vehicle move around. They essentially consist of a tract and body. Simply speaking, the tread is the rubber on its circumference that makes contact with the ground or the road. Its basic function is to provide traction or the force of motion to the vehicle. The body of a tyre, on the other hand, provides containment to the quantity of compressed air to keep it stable and afloat.
So, different compounds with their specific characteristics go into the making of the tread and the body, apart from rubber which is compounded to serve the two specific functions. The rubber on the tread area, as already explained, provides traction and mileage. The rubber inside the body sticks to the belt system, which is made of steel, to provide stability to the tyre’s tread area.
Before buying a new tyre, therefore, you should look for the following info that the manufacturer provides in their tyre code on the side of the tyre:
- Tyre type
- Tread width
- Aspect ratio
- Internal construction
- Rim diameter
- Load rating
- Speed rating
Talking about tyres is synonymous with talking about Dunlop Tyres. Dunlop Tyres have a very chequered and interesting history. They derive their name from John Boyd Dunlop, the inventor of pneumatic or air-filled rubber tyres 130 years back. Dunlop was a well-known veterinarian of Dublin then. In the course of helping his son ride a tricycle smoothly on rough pavements, Dunlop invented and developed an inflated tyre, the first of its kind. He conducted all this pioneering work independent of the work that Robert William Thomson had already done and patented way back in 1845, the first inventor of pneumatic tyres. But Thomson’s work didn’t move beyond patents. Dunlop worked in association with Dunlop Tyres and Charles Kingston Welch to lay the foundation of the pneumatic tyre industry in the UK. Over time their Pneumatic Tyre business came to be known as Dunlop Rubber and Dunlop Tyres.
As their legacy lives on, Dunlop Tyres is today an international brand in tyre technology. It is owned by the US-based Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.
So, when you are in Southampton and looking to replace the worn-out tyres of your vehicle, shouldn’t you always go for the pioneers of tyre manufacturing technology?
Dunlop Tyres Southampton brings you a range of high-quality tyres on performance in all weather conditions, covering car, van, and 4×4 tyres. They are designed to meet your driving style and all eventualities you may face while on-road.
