Abstract
Treadwear is the most important aspect of tire performance to the consumer. Despite this, little is known about the fundamental mechanism of wear and no suitable laboratory methods are available for evaluation. Testing of treadwear must be done on the road and, as a result, is subject to a wide variety of ambient, vehicle, road, traffic, and driver differences. Typical mileages obtained in various parts of the country are reported here and current techniques used by tire companies to measure treadware are summarized. Various possibilities of improving wear and the effect these would have on other properties are also discussed.