They start to lose integrity around 200⁰C or 390⁰F… we’ll be dead long before our tires randomly soften to the poi t rhey deform.
But you’re right that friction under even slightly higher heat means they’ll wear out significantly quicker. Drivers might need to change them every 1-2 years instead of 3-5, as a hypothetical.
I live in the Phoenix area. Every summer, as it starts to heat up (so like april…) you start seeing the tire debris everywhere, and the higher frequency of cars pulled over with flat tires… Heat is absolutely a factor in premature tire failure, whether or not the rubber is literally melting.
I mean of course some people don’t change their tires when they’re supposed to, or continue driving on flat tires to get to move their vehicle from the place it originally went flat. So sure when not being used as designed, of course there is a bias towards rubber tearing in the triple digits instead. If you’re not an idiot driving on safety hazards it’s extremely unlikely.
The melting point of rubber tires is around 371°C or 700°F
They soften much earlier, though. And there’s also the friction of moving against the road.
We can change the rubber formulation so the Tg shifts up or down. This is actually part of the difference in winter and summer tires.
They start to lose integrity around 200⁰C or 390⁰F… we’ll be dead long before our tires randomly soften to the poi t rhey deform.
But you’re right that friction under even slightly higher heat means they’ll wear out significantly quicker. Drivers might need to change them every 1-2 years instead of 3-5, as a hypothetical.
I live in the Phoenix area. Every summer, as it starts to heat up (so like april…) you start seeing the tire debris everywhere, and the higher frequency of cars pulled over with flat tires… Heat is absolutely a factor in premature tire failure, whether or not the rubber is literally melting.
I mean of course some people don’t change their tires when they’re supposed to, or continue driving on flat tires to get to move their vehicle from the place it originally went flat. So sure when not being used as designed, of course there is a bias towards rubber tearing in the triple digits instead. If you’re not an idiot driving on safety hazards it’s extremely unlikely.