Future tyres to change colour when it##Q##s time to replace
Tyre wear indication technology hasn##Q##t come particularly far in the past thirty years, as most of us are still reduced to sticking a 20p piece into the tread to see if it##Q##s time we paid Kwik-Fit a visit.
But award-winning designers Gao Fenglin and Zhou Buyi have been busy working on a high-tech solution to the age-old problem of spotting worn out rubber.
The pair have created the Discolor Tyre, that features a layer of bright orange rubber that sits beneath the traditional black top layer.
When the tread is worn to a certain depth, the bright under layer will show through indicating a need to replace.
The bright colouring can also help drivers spot a tiny insidious tear or leak, and the designers estimate their tyre will get over 12,000 miles before the subdermal color begins to show through.
There have been plenty of patents submitted for advanced wear indicators but due to the expensive production process and the stringent safety rules; many are yet to see the light of day.
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