ILLUSTRATION: PAUL RYDING
A scientist invents a fabric that never wears out or even gets dirty. He’s a hero. Until he’s shut down by clothes manufacturers who realise the everlasting stuff will soon put them out of business. This is the excellent 1951 Alec Guinness film The Man in the White Suit. I suspect the combined bosses of the tyre industry hold that screenplay as one of their foundational business texts.
Cars, during their R&D phase, are tested against all manner of climates and assaults, just to be sure they deserve their lengthy guarantee. No such luck with their tyres. A one-inch nail or sharp pothole will strand you, and you’ve got no warranty against that.
Their vulnerability is a disgrace. Especially now you no longer get a spare. Engineers are shaving mass to lose a fraction of a gram of CO2/km.Marketers want a bigger boot. Costcutters, well, cut cost. So they cross their fingers, and tell us through thin-lipped smiles that we never get punctures. I do, about once a year.