Tires

More than one century the phenomenon „reinforcement“ of rubber and in particular of tire compounds is a major topic within this industry. The strong increase in reinforcement linked with the improvement of the abrasion restiance was the most important aspect for the introduction of carbon black in tire tread formulations. The partial substitute of the Carbon Black by the Silica / Silane system in tread compound mixtures, in combination with a specific polymer blend, provides significant improvements in rolling resistance and wet traction. Hence, in comparison to Carbon Black filled tread compounds at constant abrasion resistance level, a reduced fuel consumption and improved driving security can be achieved.

Today the majority of OE passenger car tires from European production are equipped by a combination of highly dispersible (HD) silica and bifunctional coupling agents.