From strength to strength

uncommon for a car to use up to 6 tires in just 500 km of driving. Motoring was quite an dventure.

The rubber composition used in those days – with zinc oxide as a filler to enhance hardness – simply wore out too quickly.

In 1904, after the addition of carbon black to rubber, the vulcanized compound became “a lot tougher” and resisted deformation and abrasion much better than compounds containing other ingredients. The compounds reinforced with carbon black. In fact, the discovery that active fillers could be used to effectively reinforce elastomers heralded a new dawn in tire technology.

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