Continext-LH: Next generation carbon black to compete with silica in tire tread compounds
by Lashan M.H. De Silva, Raymond Soufiani, Angel J. Marcucci and Ed Vega, Continental Carbon
In tire technology, the automobile tire performance triangle, or “magic triangle,” is formed by three major parameters: rolling resistance, wet traction and wear resistance. These tire tread compound properties have rarely been improved simultaneously. Before silica, or specifically highly dispersible silica (HDS) was introduced to the tire industry in the early 1990s, carbon black was the predominant reinforcing agent or filler used in tire tread compounds.