White-wall tyres defectable

[calais]

I have actually seen how whitewalls are made first hand. If you are buying something like the BF Goodrich silvertowns that I observed in production, you will see that the original production methods involve the 'gouging' of the sidewall after it is released from the mould prior to the application of the 'porcelain white' mix to create the actual whitewall.

When the tire is moulded, BF Goodrich specifically leave a greater amount of rubber on the sidewall as not to detriment the structural integrity of the tire.

I am of the opinion, that if the portion of rubber that is being removed from the sidewall, is minimal and obviously not contributing the sidewall strength, that there is no real problem.

What is a problem, is when the 'whitewall' application is done dangerously, where the gouge channel is either too deep, or too wide. The only way to prevent this is carefully observe the operator who is conducting the operation. and to measure the depth and width exactly.

Now, In stating the above, I would also like to add, that the idea of people getting fined on the spot by a police or transport officer is absurd.

I would love to see some kind of statistical proof which details that an 'illegally' whitewalled tire contributed to either road trauma or incident.

Unfortunately what I see in this subject is a cash cow for government coffers, and very little else.

If the justification is in the name of road safety in relation to tyre condition, then maybe a little more time should be spent looking at the number of vehicles getting around on mismatched tyres, directional tyres mounted in reverse, vehicles with poor wheel alignment leading to abnormal (dangerous) wear patterns and obviously the number of vehicles with no tread left.

If we continue to vote for clowns who introduce and enforce ridiculous regulations to problems that dont exist, we are just going to have to keep dealing with such issues as car enthusiasts.