I found a very interesting article by Les Jackson today in the Washington Times Auto Weekly (one of the publications I regularly look at). Like many people, I thought that tire design, today, is virtually all computerized. Much of it is, of course, but the actual prototype treads, when the tire is under development and being tested, are actually hand-carved into the rubber by skilled technicians. This article explains it in detail.



http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...rubber-treads/


Take a look at the tread pattern on your tires sometime. They are quite complex and have details that, when observed closely, show several different patterns and shapes that make up the characteristics originally desired by the engineers who designed them. Tires hide a lot of technology that is overshadowed by their rather mundane appearance, and a lot of design work goes into them. Once engineers approve of a given tread design you'd think it would be patterned on some computer design system and transferred to metal cutting machinery that makes the molds. Well, that's not quite the way it's done. Before money is committed to making the molds some prototype tires must be hand made. That's the job of the tire carver. Yes, there are specialists who actually hand carve those complicated tread patterns onto blank tires, and one of the best at it is Jim Horvath. He's a mechanical engineer who has spent a career in the tire industry, first with General Tire and lately with Hankook Tire America Corp. where he is a senior associate engineer. Jim Horvath has the touch to carve tread designs in rubber. Mr. Horvath wields a tire-carving tool like many artists handle a brush. He carved wood figurines as a hobby, so when tire carving was developed in the mid-70s he couldn't wait to give it a try. His engineering and drafting experience gave him the analytical thought processes required in this specialized trade. "To do this properly you have to think in three dimensions," says Mr. Horvath. Once Mr. Horvath has tread drawings and specific shapes he starts to work. He mounts a fully cured blank tire that is the exact final size but has no tread, similar to a racing slick. He lays a mylar template that he and the design engineers have prepared over the tread area and sprays white paint into the voids. Once dry, he's ready to carve. His carving tool was specially made, featuring a soldering unit with cables, switches and a variable transformer for heat control. His 30-plus years of experience have taught him how to "feel" the right temperature and cutting angles, allowing him to cut the tread designs "like butter," as he describes. He can carve a complete tire in about 4 hours, but some tread designs can be far more complex. "All tires have at least three pitch sequences and many can have a lot more, so there's a pattern-repeat similar in concept to wallpaper," explained Mr. Horvath. "At Hankook we have about 50 different pitch sequences, depending upon the characteristics desired from the tire." Mr, Horvath even goes with engineers to vehicle test areas to "tweak" tire designs. Carrying his carving equipment with him, tread and pitch changes can be made on the spot so that engineers can measure performance in real driving situations. "Sometimes, for a new vehicle project, I make an entire set of 4 tires so that compounds and tread designs can be optimized," says Mr. Horvath. If you happen to buy a new Ford F150, take a look at the tires. Mr. Horvath carved them for the Ford engineers, after which the contract for production was granted by Ford to Hankook.

 

Interesting! I wouldn't want to carve a tire though.

 

I know the Monster Truck guys carve their own pattern into the tires they use. I didn't know that consumer tires were done that way at first as well though.

 

VEry good read, thanks!

 

When I worked at Shelby I watched them modify new Goodyear Off-road tires for racing, removing tread lugs for faster self cleaning using a electrically heated tire iron which looks like a wood burning iron.

 

have you guys sen the Nitto INVO tires. They are the craziest tread pattern I have ever seen. They say those were designed by computer to provide the best grip and quiet ride.

 

That's part of what the article got into. Treads can be designed by computer, but they are actually carved into prototype tires by hand.

 

Interesting stuff! Like many professions out there, Tire carving is certainly an art form.

 

The Nitto NeoGen is crazier...


The INVO

 

I believe the cheaper the tire the more likely the tread pattern is designed for looks