Tyres are made through a five-point manufacturing process. The core ingredients of the tyre are blended and milled into the basic structure of the tyre. The tyre is then built from the inside out and then cured to form its final shape. Finally, the tyre is inspected for imperfections to ensure it meets strict manufacturing standards.
Blend
Up to 30 different kinds of rubber, fillers and other ingredients are used in your tyre’s rubber. The ingredients are mixed in giant blenders to create a black, gummy compound that will be sent on for milling.
Mill
The cooled rubber is cut into strips that will form the basic structure of the tyre itself. At the milling stage, other elements of the tyre are prepared, some of which are then coated in another type of rubber.
Build
It’s now time to make the tyre – from the inside out. The textile elements, steel belts, beads, ply, tread, and other components are assembled on a tyre-building machine. The result is a ‘green tyre’ – a tyre that is starting to take the shape of the finished product.
Cure
The green tyre is then vulcanised with hot moulds in a curing press, compressing all of the parts of the tyre together and giving the tyre its final shape, including its tread pattern and manufacturer’s sidewall markings.
Inspect
Trained inspectors using special machinery will now carefully check each tyre meets strict manufacturing standards before it can be shipped for sale. In addition to that, a selection of tyres is pulled from the line for x-raying. Our quality control engineers also randomly select tyres off the line and cut them open to ensure they meet Dunlop standards.
Tyres are made from up to 30 different kinds of rubber, antioxidants, textile elements, steel belts, beads and other components.
Rubber
Natural and synthetic rubber combine to make up the core component of your tyre. The properties of rubber provide slip resistance and elasticity which are both very important for tyre production.
Antioxidants
To help prevent the tyre from the effects of oxygen exposure, antioxidants are included in the core ingredients.
Textiles
Fabric is used to reinforce the tyre and increase its strength. Various materials such as rayon, nylon and polyester can be used to form the plies that make up your tyre’s skeleton. By using fabric, you can enhance a tyre’s elasticity.
Steel
Steel is used to form the tyre’s belts and beads which help to stiffen up the tyre and help to lock the tyre to the wheel.
Every car tyre has different component parts that work together to create a high-performance tyre.
Ply
The plies are the layers of fabric that make up your tyre’s skeleton and are typically made of fibre cords that are woven together and coated with rubber. These allow your tyre to be flexible but not elastic. A layer called the carcass ply placed directly above the inner liner gives your tyre its strength.
Beads
The beads are made from high-strength steel coated in rubber and create an airtight seal between your tyre and the rim of the wheel.
Belt
Steel belts are placed around the tyre to reinforce strength and provide rigidity. These are made of woven sheets of steel wires that are coated in rubber. Sometimes Kevlar cord is also added for extra strength, puncture resistance, and durability.
Sidewall
This is the area of extra-thick rubber that runs from the bead to the tread and gives your tyre its lateral stability. It’s also where you’ll find all of the manufacturer information about your tyre.
Shoulder
Your tyre has a small, bevelled edge where the tread meets the sidewall. Its design and construction play an important role in how your tyre helps you take corners.
Tread
This is the soft area of your tyre where the rubber meets the road. The tread provides both cushioning and grip, and its design and compound determine many of your tyre’s most important performance features.
Sipe and groove
The tread blocks are separated by the deep grooves that allow your tyre to disperse water, snow and mud. Sipes are the smaller grooves or cuts made in the tread blocks themselves that give extra grip, which is especially important in a tyre made for snow and ice.
