Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Discolor tire shows you when it's time for new rubber

Gallery:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/disco...photo-5530570/

Two designers that have already won a Red Dot concept design award for the Bevel Cup, Gao Fenglin & Zhou Buyi, have come together again on an idea called the Discolor Tyre. Understanding it couldn't be simpler: A layer of colored rubber beneath the black casing will appear when the outer tread depth falls beneath a certain amount. Fenglin and Buyi estimate that 20,000 kilometers of driving, or about 12,400 miles, will cause the colored tread to show, but there's no reason why harder rubber compounds couldn't increase that number. A side benefit is that it would also quickly reveal tears in the casing and the sources of leaks.

This isn't the first concept to use alternate hues to detect tread depth, with other ideas having already been patented. The patented Colored Wear Indicator for Tires uses not just one, but several colors to indicate how far the tread has worn down. The patent for a Vehicle Tire Tread Depth Determining System, conversely, doesn't use a fixed color, it uses an ultraviolet-sensitive layer that changes color after enough tread has worn down so that it is exposed to sunlight. We're sure there are more out there; point being that designers are already thinking about how we'll check our tires when the last car parts store closes for good... and we run out of pennies.

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/04/d...or-new-rubber/

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Very cool idea. I'm on board

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

Would have helped my uncle when I was in Missouri. His tires were so bad that once it reached freezing temps, it lost all air and popped off the bead. Although, his version of "slicks" would have been warning enough...

Fizzboy7

Tacky and ghetto. Why would anyone want to announce to the world they have balding tires? This just says "I know my tires are worn, but I'm chosing not to spend money on new ones." Also looks like you just drove through paint. With this type of thinking, why not design windshield wipers, headlight bulbs, gas cap covers (low on fuel), and body paint that all turn colors to inform the driver that all these things are wearing out, low, or fading?
So to sum up, can't afford new tires and a bad driver. Skip.

xlexusx

iTrader: (1)

Not a bad idea.

Aron9000

Would be fun to do a burnout and leave red rubber on the road lol.

mmarshall

No offense, but I hope you're kidding, because to seriously do that would be dumb with a Capital D . All that would do is to take already seriously worn and weakened tires, scrub off what little rubber they have left on them and put it on the road instead, and potentially make them even more likely to have a blowout or tire-failure. Not only that, but some traction/stability-control systems won't allow that in the first place if they can't be fully shut-off.

mmarshall

Welcome....I see you are virtually a brand-new poster.

I agree it's a decent idea, although we already have both state and DOT/NHTSA laws that mandate the use of tire wear-bars that run across the tread. The old time-honored method, of course, of checking tread-depth is to hold a Lincoln penny upside-down in the tread-groove. If you can see the top of Lincoln's head, it's time to head for the tire-shop. The wear-bars appear across the entire width of the tread when the tread-depth gets (roughly) to that point. If the wear-bars can be seen, many states have laws mandating tire-replacement at that point.

Kentchup

iTrader: (2)

pretty great idea, i know there are many people out there who really dont take the time to take a look at their tires. I know some of my friends who drive dont even know that they tires are bald

mmarshall

I respect your opinion, Fizzboy (and it has merit)...but I can't necessarily agree. Worn or balding tires, IMO, are not something to be rolling the dice with or taking chances....especially in bad weather. I've seen even some brand new tires that can s**k when it comes to hydroplaning-resistance (such as the B.F. Goodrich's on my first new Mazda)........just impagine badly-worn ones.

Aron9000

Damn you're an old fuddy duddy. That is exactly what you do when you have a powerful RWD car and its time to replace the tires, you go out and raise some hell the day before you go to the tire shop. Granted I've never done anything stupid like a 2 minute brake stand, because that will pop a tire and possibly overheat the engine, but putting on a good smoke show and doing a few donuts is harmless fun.

Fizzboy7

You are missing the point my friend. A good driver should automatically be ontop of this. It should not take special tires to know they are worn and it should not take a sticker on the window to know when to change the oil. A person with common sense and respect to safety monitors his/her tires and knows when they are wearing out. It's a simple GLANCE for crying out loud. It's like how stupid and dumbed down can our society get? Do we need such silly reminders for things that we should already be ontop of? Where do we draw the line? How about an app that tells us when we are hungry and need to eat? There's no difference, and I guess that's next. It's insanity what we have become.

mmarshall

That's what being careful behind the wheel gives you....a nice long life.



OK, if done in a safe manner on an empty parking lot or where it won't be a risk.....fine.

But just make sure you have enough rubber left on the tires to get to the tire shop, especially in bad weather.

You might want to ask your wheel bearings, driveshaft, U-Joints, clutch/transmission, and differential about that....and see if they agree.

Hey, I grew up in the muscle-car age myself (late 60s), I've been reviewing cars for more than 40 years, and I know it's fun to punch it once in a while and feel yourself pushed back in your seat with acceleration. But there's a way to enjoy power in a way that won't tear up the car.

mmarshall

In one sense, all American-market tires are already "special"....with the DOT-required tread-wear bars. They do, in effect, what the orange-color worn-rubber does.........just with a little less flash.

I agree with you, though, that driver-education in this country is atrocious......the lack of car-knowledge that many people behind the wheel have is just amazing.

Aron9000

Oh I agree with you about being safe while being stupid, any sort of tire shredding antics are always done in a wide open parking lot at 2:00am with nobody else around. Or at the water box at the drag strip.

I can't stand people that act a fool at cruise ins or car shows. Before you know it the cops are all over you, harassing people who aren't doing anything wrong because a couple of idiots ruined it for everybody.

Before you know it the cops have told you all to go home and you have to find somewhere else to meet up. Then they know your car and continue to harass you because of what some idiot did several months ago that you weren't even a part of, its just because you were there.

I really wish we had the type of driver education, testing, and car inspection like they do in Germany and other European countries. The driving test over there isn't just driving around the block like it is in this country, they make you parallel park, drive on the Autobahn, drive in a congested town, go around a busy roundabout, etc, etc, etc The inspection programs over there really do educate a driver about their car and its mechanical upkeep. Basically if you don't maintain your car, you don't drive.