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What is the Difference between F1 Tyres vs Regular
Tyres?
Have you ever noticed the F1 car tyres have no grip at all and look bald even if they are
new? They look completely different from the regular tyres we use on our passenger cars. Is
this only different in F1 and regular car Tyres Shepshed? Let’s find out in this blog post.
Manufacturing Process
All those materials are mixed at high temperature in what looks like a massive blender. This
compound is then rolled into sheets and wrapped around a circular drum to mould it into
shape. A layer of fabric, usually Kevlar or polyester, called ply, will be added to the mould to
reinforce the inner face of the tyre.
Strips of metal wires called beads are then laid at the edges to strengthen and keep the tyre
attached to the wheel rim. This structure forms the carcass that the tread is later attached to.
For the tread, the rubber compound is combined with more layers of ply to reinforce the face
of the tyre to limit deformation at speed. The tread layer is then pressed onto the carcass to
form the overall tyre.
The final stage is for the combined tyre to be placed in a press machine that cures the tyre
into its final shape and then adds the tread pattern using pressurised steam. The
pressurised steam in the machine causes vulcanisation, which is a chemical reaction that
transforms the rubber from a weak, sticky substance into the elastic, stronger material that
forms the working tyre.
Testing and Development
So really, the only difference in the manufacturing process is that the F1 tyre will have more
reinforcing materials to help them cope with the higher loads that they experiences.
The indoor testing consists of pushing the tyres to the limit of F1 to make sure they hold up
under pressure. They fit the tyre to a machine called a dynamometer. This runs a tyre on a
sandpaper-like roller with a known grip level so they can measure the grip throughout
acceleration, braking, and cornering.
They run at speeds of 280 miles an hour, subjected to temperatures over 300 degrees and
lateral loads of a thousand kilograms for 20 times longer than they're expected to run during
a race.
While road tyres are tested in similar ways, these tests are not as extreme. A dynamometer
is used to test the speeds and loads that the tyres can take like an F1 tyre, but unlike an F1
tyre, the tyre is tested on how they will cope with all sorts of weather conditions, especially in
the wet and snow, alongside stopping distances and how much noise they make to make
sure they are suitable for a wide range of vehicles.
Price Difference Justification
One model of road tyre can be used on anything from a small hatchback to a large SUV. The
F1 tyre is a specialist bit of kit, researched by specialists using specialist equipment, and
they all cost money.
Cutting Open the Tyres
So I'm going to go outside now to open up both tyres and look at what's inside. We're going
to break it down, inspect the tread depth on both tyres, examine the construction, and
identify the materials used inside, allowing for a thorough comparison between the two tyres.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/2Um1WHJiPishFFTj7
Visual Comparison
Okay, so let's compare these two tyres now and see what the difference actually is. I guess
first of all, the first thing to look at is the difference between the tread. You can see the steel
material in here on both of the tyres, but the tread on the road car rubber is much deeper
than it is on the F1 rubber.
Now this is, of course, a used F1 tyre, so that it will have reduced the thickness somewhat,
but there's still plenty more meat on the road tyre. I guess the other big difference here is just
the profile of the tyre. There's a lot more meat here on the side coming up to the shoulder of
the tyre.
As we come around the side, it's really interesting to see how thin the shoulder is on the F1
rubber going into the sidewall. It's only four or five millimetres thick here compared to the big
chunky road tyre. That makes sense because the road tyre probably has to endure being
driven over bumps, sometimes into curbs, over potholes, so you want it to be much thicker.
Whereas the racing circuit is, of course, much smoother. The F1 tyre will go through much
more significant loads, but in a much more consistent way.
Once we get down to the bead of the tyre, yes, it is a little bit bigger on the F1 rubber, but
actually it's not that much bigger or thicker than it is on the road car tyre. So quite a few
differences between the profile and the shape of the Cheap tyres Leicester, but maybe not
quite as much as you might think.