FROM FACTORY TO THE RACETRACK

Experiencing a part of the new TVS Eurogrip Roadhound tyres' lifecycle

- BENJAMIN GRACIAS

While I have tested out tyres multiple times on the road and the racetrack, this was the first time I got to witness the tyres being made at the factory and then trying them out on the racetrack, all within a span of 24 hours. The factory in question is TVS Eurogrip’s sprawling complex at Madurai and the tyres are the new Roadhound touring radials for mid-capacity sports tourers.

It is interesting to watch a tyre being made, even more, when you consider that modern tyres have little natural rubber in them. A modern tyre consists mainly of Silica and other synthetic compounds. Tyremaking starts when these compounds are precisely measured and mixed before being extruded into flat sheets. The sheets are then put into a tyre-shaped mould and wrapped in steel wires. These wires are precisely placed parallel to the direction of the tyres rotation which covers the contact surface of the tyre. This makes it a zero-degree radial as the steel wires keep the tyre from deforming under stress even when leaned over. Next, it goes into another mould where treads are imprinted on the outer surface.