VIAVISION

VOLKSWAGEN GROUP SHAPING THE FUTURE OF MOBILITY

2 2 4 6 8 8

NO 07
September 2012

Editorial Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg Humble Heroes What Tyres Are Responsible for Layer on Layer A Close Look at Composition More Than Rubber The Mix Makes the Tyre Rolling Out How Old Tyres Can Be Recycled Imprint

Between Good Grip and Smooth Running

Tyres
About 3o percent
of braking distance can be reduced by tyre choice.

5 percent
of fuel can be saved using low resistance tyres, extra urban.

PERFORMANCE

VIAVISION

Editorial
Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Brand with responsibility for Research and Development.

Humble Heroes
What Tyres Are Responsible for
Nothing runs without tyres. Nevertheless they rarely get much attention, despite the fact that the black rubbers full many more functions than are apparent at rst glance. They should decrease braking distance through their excellent surface grip, and thus increase safety, while also having a low rolling friction in order to decrease carbon dioxide emissions. But that is not all: they should, at the same time, be as light and quiet as possible. These are the factors tyre manufacturers focus on, in order to continually improve the properties of the tyre.

A cars environmental footprint depends, among other factors, on its tyres. It is our goal to select the ideal tyre for every car model and every engine option, to nd the optimal trade-off between vehicle safety, fuel consumption and comfort. On the following pages VIAVISION will demonstrate how components, new additives and tyre recycling ensure safety and a good environmental balance. Happy reading.

Fuel saving through the use of low resistance tyres: (in percent)

3
Urban

5
Rolling resistance When the tyre touches the road, it will be compressed in the area of the tread. This deformation of the tyre consumes energy that is lost as rolling resistance in the form of heat. The higher the rolling resistance is that the tyre has to overcome, the higher performance the engine must provide that costs fuel.
Sources: Michelin; ADAC (both as of 2012)

Extra Urban

4
Motorway

Tyre manufacturers try to reduce rolling friction by constantly introducing new rubber compounds into their tyres. Besides rolling resistance, fuel consumption is inuenced by air drag and friction as well as inertia. The saving potential of low rolling resistance tyres is highest at medium speeds because this is when rolling resistance constitutes the largest part of total driving resistances. Extra urban reduction is ve percent; low rolling resistance tyres save four percent on average.
Source: Initiative ich & mein auto/dena, German Energy Agency (as of 2010)

07 September 2012

PERFORMANCE

Increase in braking distance due to reduced tyre tread: (in metres)

At a residual speed of * 34 kilometres per hour, ** 44 kilometres per hour, *** 31 kilometres per hour.

Volkswagens tyre pressure monitoring system The driver ensures the correct tyre pressure by driving to the petrol station and checking the pressure with a gauge. Tyre pressure monitoring systems installed in the vehicle take over this task. They monitor the air pressure and show dangerous pressure changes with a warning light or an audible warning. Volkswagen has two such systems in its range: the passive tyre pressure monitor and the active tyre pressure monitoring system, with or without position sensing. The tyre pressure monitor is a software module in the central control unit of the vehicle. Using data from the anti-lock braking system, the circumference of the tyre is determined, alerting the driver to changes. This system is available for the Golf, Passat and Polo. Active tyre pressure monitor measures pressure and temperature using active sensors on the valves of the tyre and transmits the data to the control unit of the vehicle. In addition, the tyre pressure monitor with position sensing shows the driver which tyre has lost pressure. This active system is installed in the Phaeton, Touareg and Passat.
Source: Volkswagen

Full tread depth th + 9.5* Three millimetres tread depth + 9.5** 1.6 millimetres tread depth + 9.1***

A deep tread ensures greater grip on wet surfaces and also shortens the braking distance. Already at tread depths of less than four millimetres, grip lessens signicantly because the tyres cannot adequately displace the water on the road. In Germany the minimum legal tread depth is 1.6 millimetres. Summer tyres should however be replaced at a tread depth of three millimetres, winter tyres at a depth of four millimetres. Source: Continental (as of 2012)

Increased fuel consumption at decreased air pressure: (in percent)

The right air pressure in the tyre plays an important role. If it is too low, the tyre can heat up severely during driving, damaging its fabric. Additionally, the higher rolling resistance leads to higher fuel consumption and abrasion. The correct tyre air pressure is also vital with respect to safety: a small loss of pressure already leads to a signicantly longer braking distance; stability and grip on wet surfaces decreases considerably. Experts recommend checking the tyre pressure every 14 days and, if the car is heavily loaded, adjusting it accordingly this saves fuel.
Sources: FOCUS Online; Continental (both as of 2012)

+8

+4

+2 +1 Recommended air pressure: 2 bar

1.8 bar

1.6 bar

1.4 bar

1.1 bar

COMPOSITION

VIAVISION

Layer on Layer
A Close Look at Composition
The predecessors of todays tyres were made of wood, with a covering of leather or metal to protect against wear. The rst Benz motor car still drove on wooden wheels but these were already covered with a protective rubber layer. Several years passed until the tyres were nally inated with air. Today a tyre consists of nine different components. Each of these has a specic function to increase driving safety.

Tyre components:

Tread, cap ply and steel belts are part of the running surface of the tyre. All other components form the casing, the structure of the tyre.
1 2

1 The tread is the outer part of the tyre, which has direct contact with the road. It is usually made of synthetic and natural rubber and is responsible for road grip and water displacement. The durability of the tyre, and thus its mileage, depends on it. 2 The cap ply lies directly under the tread. It is made of nylon fabric and additionally reinforces the tread, making higher speeds possible. 3 The steel belt gives the tyre strength and stability. As a result it keeps its shape when driving, and the rolling resistance remains low. 4 The body ply is a solid textile strip which is cut so that the thread runs transversely to the driving direction. 5 The inner layer of rubber replaces the pneumatic tyres and inner tubes that were formerly used and makes the tyre airtight.

3 5 6 4

7 9 8

6 The rubber side wall protects the tyre from damage from the outside. 7 The bead reinforcement, or reinforcement strip, consists of nylon or aramid, a plastic fabric. It supports driving stability and allows accurate steering. In addition, it improves road condition feedback to the driver.

8 The bead ller, made of synthetic rubber, improves stability and reduces tyre deformation during cornering. In addition, it contributes to a better steering response and it improves the suspension of the tyre, for example, when driving over a curb. 9 The steel core provides a tight t on the rim.
Sources: Continental (as of 2011); Goodyear (as of 2009)

07 September 2012

COMPOSITION

Side note
The most important data regarding the tyre is on the label on its edge. The small combination of numbers and letters contains information about the various dimensions and the carrying capacity of the tyre.

Run-at tyre
Not having to stop on a at tyre, but simply continuing to the next workshop this is made possible by so-called run-at tyres. Reinforced edges let the tyres carry the weight of the vehicle, even when all the air has escaped. Up to 150 kilometres can still to be covered at a maximum of 80 kilometres per hour. Since the pressure loss in the tyre while driving may not be noticed by the driver, an electronic pressure monitoring system is mandatory. Anyone who decides to drive on run-at tyres, and therefore goes without a spare tyre saves weight and fuel, however they must accept that the run-at tyres are much stiffer and heavier. At low speeds, they offer less comfort and cause louder noise than conventional tyres.

Tyre width Species the width of the tyre in millimetres. It ranges from 125 up to 335 millimetres. Height to width ratio The second number indicates the percentage ratio of height to width of the tyres cross section. In a tyre with a height-width ratio of /50 the tyre section is half as high as it is wide. Tyre structure The letter R stands for radial construction, now common, in which the textile cords of the casing are arranged at right angles to the running direction. If there is an additional F behind the R, it is a run-at tyre. Rim diameter The diameter of the rim is measured in inches, and typically ranges from ten to twenty inches, corresponding to 25.4 to 50.8 centimetres. Load index The load index (abbreviated LI) indicates the maximum load that a tyre at a maximum of 210 kilometres per hour and a given tyre pressure can bear. They range from a load index of 30, corresponding to 106 kilograms per tyre, up to a load index of 109, equivalent to 1,030 kilograms. Speed rating The speed symbol or speed rating shows the permissible top speed. F is the lowest speed at 80 kilometres per hour, Y is the maximum speed of 300 kilometres per hour.
Sources: ADAC; Fulda (both as of 2010); Continental (as of 2012)

Strong side:

Standard Run-at

Run-at tyres can carry the cars weight even when all the air has escaped, due to their reinforced side walls.
Sources: ADAC (as of 2010); Bridgestone (as of 2012)

MATERIAL

VIAVISION

More Than Rubber

The Mix Makes the Tyre
When selecting materials, tyre manufacturers are faced with a classic conict: a tyre should have excellent grip, meaning it holds the road, and at the same time should have as little rolling resistance and abrasion as possible. If grip is improved by greater elasticity, abrasion and rolling resistance are consequently increased. And vice versa: reduced rolling resistance due to higher stiffness negatively impacts grip. To address this conict, the tyre consists of more than just rubber. Composition of a standard tyre: (in percent)

Reinforcements Chemicals for vulcanisation

For the vulcanisation sulphur and zinc oxide is used, among other chemicals. At this stage of the tyre manufacturing process the rubber is subjected to high pressure for a certain time at specied temperatures, so the sulphur molecules bond with the rubber. This way the nished tyre takes its original shape after deformation, has a higher tensile strength and is more resistant to weathering and ageing. Steel, nylon, polyester or other plastics serve for reinforcement, for example at the steel belt or cap ply (see page 5).

6 15

2*

30

Softener
Oils and resins maintain the exibility of the rubber. However they evaporate over the years, making the tyres hard and brittle.

07 September 2012

MATERIAL

Rubber
Since the amount of rubber required by the tyre industry cannot only be gleaned from the juice of the rubber tree alone, this raw material for tyres is mainly produced synthetically. The properties of the rubber are temperature-dependent: mixtures that drive well at high temperatures can harden in cold weather. Therefore different types are mixed to achieve the correct properties for summer and winter tyres.

Oil substitute
Synthetic rubber is mainly derived from crude oil but this raw material is scarce and expensive. For this reason, some tyre manufacturers make use of other biomaterials, for example, corn starch and sugar cane. The biomaterial is transformed using bacteria so that it can serve as the raw material for synthetic rubber. This biorubber stands out due to its low weight and resistance to heat and weather.

Fillers

41

Carbon black, silica, carbon or chalk can be used as llers. They maintain the tyres consistency by reducing abrasion. Previously carbon black was used exclusively, today mainly silica, the salt of silicic acid, is used. Silica is the solution to the trade-off conict in tyre production (low rolling resistance with, at the same time, good adhesion), by making the rubber harder, while its molecular structure increases grip.

Sources: Continental (as of 2011); Gevo; Bridgestone; LANXESS (all as of 2012) *Other. Pictures (clockwise): BP Europa SE; jakawan_k-Fotolia.com; ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG; styf-Fotolia.com; LANXESS

RECYCLING

VIAVISION

Rolling Out
percent of old tyres in Germany are recycled. 96 percent across Europe, 85 percent in the USA.
Source: Continental (as of 2012)

How Old Tyres Can Be Recycled

1oo

What actually happens to a tyre if it cannot be used anymore because, for example, the tread is worn out or the material has become brittle? Every year, more than three million tons of old tyres accumulate in Europe, 600,000 of them in Germany alone. These old tyres are recycled in three different ways.

Remoulding
Picture: Reifen Ihle GmbH

Material usage
After the old tyres are shredded and the components separated, rubber and textiles as well as metals can be further processed. The rubber, for example, is used as a granulate for road construction and improves sound insulation in tarmac.
Picture: mhp-Fotolia.com

The tyre can be remoulded if only the road tread is damaged but the casing is still usable. The old cover of the tyre is milled off and replaced by a new one with an unused tyre tread. 5.5 percent of all car tyres in Germany are remoulds. The share for utility vehicles, with their signicantly larger and heavier tyres, is around 40 percent because they cost a lot more than ordinary car tyres.

Thermal recycling
The concrete industry uses old tyres as a substitute fuel, saving fossil fuels. They are especially suitable for the production of con crete that takes place at temperatures up to 1,500 degrees Celsius because of their high energy content. Additionally, the steel that is contained within the old tyres substitutes the required iron ore.

Sources: Continental; Volkswagen (both as of 2012)

Imprint
www.viavision.org.uk, www.viavision.org Edited by Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft Konzern Kommunikation Brieffach 1972, 38436 Wolfsburg Phone: +49 (0)5361/9-77604 Fax: +49 (0)5361/9-74629

V.i.S.d.P. (Person responsible according to the German press law) Stephan Grhsem, Leiter Konzern Kommunikation; Peter Thul, Leiter Kommunikation Marke & Produkt Editorial staff Susanne van den Bergh, Stefanie Huland, Kathi Preppner, Carina Reez, Lena Wilde Contact: redaktion@viavision.org

Picture: Smileus-Fotolia.com

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