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Do tires shed more dust at higher speeds? I wonder if this has always been a known but unstated problem, or if increasing highway speeds are causing it to get w

Do tires shed more dust at higher speeds? I wonder if this has always been a known but unstated problem, or if increasing highway speeds are causing it to get worse.

dietr1ch 3y ago
They should as cornering and braking exerts a higher force on them, so they should wear faster.
Forbo 3y ago
Great question, I have no idea. I wish the nationwide 55mph speed limit were reinstated, if only to reduce oil consumption. Added bonus that it might actually encourage more public transit and walkable cities. Nobody will take this idea seriously, the US is far too addicted to cars and lacks the density.
- cscurmudgeon 3y ago
  > I wish the nationwide 55mph speed limit were reinstated In places like SF and LA, even existing traffic laws are not enforced due to "equity". https://www.ghsa.org/resources/Equity-in-Highway-Safety-Enforcement-and-Engagement21 https://www.ghsa.org/resources/Equity-in-Highway-Safety-Enfo...
  - verve_rat 3y ago
    That link you posted says nothing of the sort.
- whaleofatw2022 3y ago
  We don't even enforce truck speed limit. On top of being more inefficient/dangerous due to weight, it tears roads up faster.
burkaman 3y ago
Seems like it from a couple studies, for example: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969722008774 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004896972.... Vehicle weight is also a significant factor, so EVs will make this particular problem worse. Still worth the tradeoff, but obviously not using a car at all is the best option.
- Etheryte 3y ago
  Are you sure about the tradeoff bit? If my memory doesn't fail me, there was an article on HN recently that covered how EVs are environmentally more friendly, but health wise worse exactly because they generate more tire particles.
  - burkaman 3y ago
    I'd be interested to see it, that's not an obvious conclusion to me. The health difference of an EV is a percentage increase in tire particles but a complete absence of tailpipe emissions. I would not expect tire particles to be the more significant factor, especially when the impacts of microplastics are so unknown. Tailpipe emissions are a significant problem (https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab35fc https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab35fc), and I know this is an extreme example but you can literally kill yourself by just leaving a car running in an enclosed space. EV tailpipe emissions are not fully replaced by electricity generation emissions, even if you get your power from 100% coal (and you don't). Power plants are much more efficient than internal combustion engines.
    - Etheryte 3y ago
      I believe this [0] is the article (with discussion at [1]). To cherry-pick two quotes to contextualize what I recalled: > "Tires release 100 times the amount of volatile organic compounds as a modern tailpipe, says an analyst." > "Moreover, tire emissions from electric vehicles are 20 percent higher than those from fossil-fuel vehicles. EVs weigh more and have greater torque, which wears out tires faster." I'm not sure how all of this works out in the grand scheme of things, or how accurate those claims are, but I think those are issues that surely deserve more looking into. [0] https://e360.yale.edu/features/tire-pollution-toxic-chemicals https://e360.yale.edu/features/tire-pollution-toxic-chemical... [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37569137 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37569137

Do tires shed more dust at higher speeds? I wonder if this has always been a known but unstated problem, or if increasing highway speeds are causing it to get worse.

dietr1ch 3y ago

They should as cornering and braking exerts a higher force on them, so they should wear faster.

Forbo 3y ago

Great question, I have no idea. I wish the nationwide 55mph speed limit were reinstated, if only to reduce oil consumption. Added bonus that it might actually encourage more public transit and walkable cities. Nobody will take this idea seriously, the US is far too addicted to cars and lacks the density.

cscurmudgeon 3y ago
> I wish the nationwide 55mph speed limit were reinstated In places like SF and LA, even existing traffic laws are not enforced due to "equity". https://www.ghsa.org/resources/Equity-in-Highway-Safety-Enforcement-and-Engagement21 https://www.ghsa.org/resources/Equity-in-Highway-Safety-Enfo...
- verve_rat 3y ago
  That link you posted says nothing of the sort.
whaleofatw2022 3y ago
We don't even enforce truck speed limit. On top of being more inefficient/dangerous due to weight, it tears roads up faster.

burkaman 3y ago

Seems like it from a couple studies, for example: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969722008774 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004896972.... Vehicle weight is also a significant factor, so EVs will make this particular problem worse. Still worth the tradeoff, but obviously not using a car at all is the best option.

Etheryte 3y ago
Are you sure about the tradeoff bit? If my memory doesn't fail me, there was an article on HN recently that covered how EVs are environmentally more friendly, but health wise worse exactly because they generate more tire particles.
- burkaman 3y ago
  I'd be interested to see it, that's not an obvious conclusion to me. The health difference of an EV is a percentage increase in tire particles but a complete absence of tailpipe emissions. I would not expect tire particles to be the more significant factor, especially when the impacts of microplastics are so unknown. Tailpipe emissions are a significant problem (https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab35fc https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab35fc), and I know this is an extreme example but you can literally kill yourself by just leaving a car running in an enclosed space. EV tailpipe emissions are not fully replaced by electricity generation emissions, even if you get your power from 100% coal (and you don't). Power plants are much more efficient than internal combustion engines.
  - Etheryte 3y ago
    I believe this [0] is the article (with discussion at [1]). To cherry-pick two quotes to contextualize what I recalled: > "Tires release 100 times the amount of volatile organic compounds as a modern tailpipe, says an analyst." > "Moreover, tire emissions from electric vehicles are 20 percent higher than those from fossil-fuel vehicles. EVs weigh more and have greater torque, which wears out tires faster." I'm not sure how all of this works out in the grand scheme of things, or how accurate those claims are, but I think those are issues that surely deserve more looking into. [0] https://e360.yale.edu/features/tire-pollution-toxic-chemicals https://e360.yale.edu/features/tire-pollution-toxic-chemical... [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37569137 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37569137