THE TYRE CARVER

A fascinating part of the tour was a visit to the tyre-tread carving centre. Carmakers sometimes require a unique tread pattern for a prototype vehicle destined for an international motor show. As it is too expensive to create tyre moulds for a low production run of tyres, they are mostly cut by hand. This is a specialised job requiring precision and intense concentration, taking up to 60 hours to carve a single tyre.

There are also computer-aided carving machines that can be programmed to carve tread patterns in tyres for a limited production run. This is usually done for prototype tyres where a new tread pattern needs to be tested.