The wheel was invented millennia ago. Since then, people have been developing the wheel into more and more unique items and functions. When cars came along, it was really important to develop tires that would help cars move easily. As the decades passed, tires became more refined as much as they become more complicated in design. The innovation continues because innovation in the tire industry is absolutely necessary to the survival of the industry. Here is why.
Cars Are Changing, So Tires Have to Change With Them
Think about it this way. You would not put a set of 1950's whitewall tires on your 2010 Corvette, right? Why is that? The reasons are two-fold. One, they are probably the completely wrong type, size, and style of tire to put on a 'Vette. Two, such outdated tires would look completely wrong on a more recent sports car. Hence, tires need to change with the changing of car design.
Road Construction Has Changed
Roads are far more complicated than they have ever been before. Those ridges that run the distance of some center lanes or along the shoulders of the road are referred to as "warning bumps" because when the tires hit them, the ridges cause the tires to rough-ride on traction. Multiple other changes in how roads are constructed have forced tire industries to consider how to make tires far more durable, less likely to explode and flatten, and extend the tread life on tires. Companies have been working on these solutions for decades now and will continue to do so every time road construction and design changes again.
Tires Need to Last as Long as the Vehicles
A really big problem with tire design is the fact that many tires never last as long as the vehicles to which the tires are attached. Someone may own a car for 20 years but have to replace the tires four to eight times. That gets to be quite the expense in terms of ownership of a vehicle. Tire innovation is moving toward making tires that still hug the roads but resist wear. When they are successful at it, tire companies can make extraordinary tires that do extraordinary things. Cars 50 years from now may only need tires to land on platforms or land on the ground, but tires will still need to exceed company standards.
For more information, contact a company like Nitto Tires.
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