| Author: SRINIVAS VANKAYALA 01 May 2008 | Member Level: Silver | Rating:  Points: 2 |
Yes, there is a scientific reason. The black is carbon powder added to the rubber. Basically, carbon improves the puncture strength and tread wear resistance to rubber.
They were not always black. At one time, most of the pneumatic tires were white
But you were always fixing flats on these tires at the side of the road because the rubber was soft and gummy.
In the '20's and early '30's you could buy replacement white tires but they cost more than black tires. White tires denoted a soft pillowy, cloud-like, deluxe ride.
Whitewall tires are the extension of the original white tires, whose treads were hard to keep white because of the dirty roads. So there was no benefit to making an all-white tire if it always looked black on the tread area. The first white-wall tires were double white walls - or white walls on both sides of the tire.
But as fenders started wrapping around the body, you could not see the inside wall, so they became single whites.
But the treads were black because the carbon added to the rubber made them last longer, and carbon is black
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