A very good 4:47 min animated video fromU.S. Tire Manufacturers Association
on how modern radials tires are "built," The video says "Passenger tire" but the process is essentially identical for any radial tire such as Passenger, LT or ST type. Heavy Truck or Class-A RV are similar but will probably have three of 4 belt ply and of course thicker and stronger components.
THIS video shows actual tires being made and offers a bit more detail.
A longer and more detailed video from Pirelli that focuses on high-performance tires but the steps as you can see are very similar,
A video from 1934 shows that even then the various steps were similar just not as well-controlled and managed with a lot more manual labor. Tires in this video are Bias, not radial.
Finally a modern Truck tire (Class-A RV size) from Bridgestone. might the best for RV owners to watch.
There isn't a tire plant worker in the world (China, Europe, or the US) that would not recognize what the equipment is doing in any of these videos
Yes, the machines are painted different colors and the robotic handling of the tires is done with different equipment but the end result is almost identical.
This uniformity in the process is why, I have so much difficulty in accepting the idea that because a tire is built in one country, it is automatically more likely to fail than when it is made in another country.
Roger is right. I recognize each and every process. Some of the machines or the ways things were manipulated were different, but they would be completely recognizable by anyone who worked in tire manufacturing anywhere in the world. The quality of a product has more to do with the quality of the design and the in-process standards employed than anything else - and this isn't restrained by national borders.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid, the Japanese produced cheap, low quality products. It took many years and lots of work, but they managed to raise their standards to the point where they are currently recognized as the world leaders. This kind of thing knows no national boundaries.
Goodyear Endurance tire kind of throws a monkey wrench into your thinking with it's durability.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what point you are trying to make. The video is intended to give you a general understanding of how tires are made. I am sure the GY Endurance is made in a similar manner.
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