Wannaskan Almanac for Tuesday, January 7, 2024 What the Soot?

Imagine you're customizing your car: painting it neon green, sticking fuzzy dice on the mirror, and adding a spoiler that says "I wish I was in Fast & Furious." But no matter how wild you get, your tires are still plain old black. It's a bummer, right? I mean, why can’t they be white or green like your childhood bike tires?

Here's the deal: those boring black tires are actually superheroes in disguise. If they weren't black, they'd fall apart faster than you could say "road trip."  

Way back when cars had wooden or metal wheels (according to the historians at the Wannaskan Almanac), every ride felt like a roller coaster on a gravel path—super uncomfortable and definitely not winter-friendly. Then, in the late 1800s, someone had the bright idea to use rubber. But guess what? Early rubber tires were bright white and totally lame. They'd get all gooey in the summer and freeze up like a rock in the winter. While this made for great instagram posts, it was not ideal.

Then came Sidney Charles Mote, an automotive engineer. He added soot (yep, the black stuff from burning things) to the rubber mix, and it worked like magic. The soot, known as carbon black, made the tires tough and flexible, able to handle hot and cold like a pro. Thanks to carbon black, tires turned black and stayed strong, lasting way longer than those flashy white ones.  Without carbon black tires would only last about 5000 miles.  

So, while black tires might not scream personality, they do mean your car won't need new shoes every other month. And if you’re itching for some flair, maybe stick with neon green paint on your car and leave the tires to do their job.