Tread squirm is for real!

CapriRacer wrote:
I suspect all this is about the mold release compound used in the manufacture of the tires. This is sprayed into the curing (aka vulcanization) mold just before the tire is put in. I can easily imagine that it penetrates a few molecules into the tread rubber and takes several hundred miles before it wears off.

I think this is plant specific and not brand specific, but I am willing to concede that maybe a particular manufacturer uses the same mold release compound in all its plants. There will be multiple brands made in the same plant, so if my conjecture is correct, all those brands would be affected.

So the word is: When replacing tires, before careful the first few hundred miles. (I think this might apply to passenger car tires as well!)

Capri Racer,

Thanks for your insight on this effect. The mold release, I know of this from plastic injection molding, however I have not heard about it on tires.

Question: What does the mold release do that creates the tire instability when used on a vehicle for the first few thousand miles?

Is the mold release changing the coefficient on friction of the tire to the road and the truck sliding or is this some other effect?

Can the mold release be cleaned off or reduced in some manner to help reduce the problem or the time to have it wear off? (Something the new owner of the tires can do.)

Thanks

John