|
I think the big issue for the wear vs RR test was the ability to measure RR. There was not a lot of difference between the wear points, so small differences might not be measureable.
I've seen tests where the tread rubber is shaved off, and the results were quite measureable.
But I think that the hardening of rubber over time doesn't really affect things much. Rubber is so much softer than the steel and the ply cords that for practical purposes you can ignore any changes in rubber properties.
I also think steel and ply cord don't change much over time as well.
I tend to think that the material affects of aging on tread rubber would INCREASE the RR, but that would be more than offset by the affects of having less tread rubber. It would be interesting if someone did this for a wide range of tires.
|