Where does all the tyre rubber go?

[AngelGrinder]

Basically, as a tyre spins, obviously tiny bits of rubber must come off...otherwise a tyre would last forever....

But, where do all these rubber (particles?) go? Shouldn't the road be black, aswell as cars, motorways and anything near roads?

Shouldn't the world be sinking under a thick layer of used rubber? Where does it all go, I'm guessing it isn't biodegradeable, and the amount of vehicles using up tyres, there must be alot of it......but where?
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Currently Riding - 2002 Aprilia RSV1000 Mille

[The Artist]

if you go to a road, you can pick bits off.

I assume some becomes airborne and other stuff is so fine it blows away and is spread around the world.

[yuri2085]

Don't you notice some parts of the road are darker?
Also there is a lot of road compared to the amount of rubber used.
Some would be washed away into water systems and some airborne most likely too.

If you are hardcore some is burnt!

[neil.]

[That_Hornet]

Most of it gets blown up and settles on roofs and finds its way into lofts. I know this because i have been ripping tiles off the roof in norbury today.

I was so dirty.

Not good for my lungs

[iooi]

Watch your average race on a track.

Track starts clean, by the end you can see off the racing line that there are chuncks around.
Then at the end they ride over it and pick it up for weight, or when it rains it all gets washed away.

Will be just the same on the road, only there is less laid down as std tyres are a lot harder.
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Just because my bike was A DIVVY, does not mean i am......

[Paulington]

Yeah the most of it ends up on the road.

After a hot and sunny race weekend (Friday-Sunday) at Karting, the track will be clean Friday morning and by Sunday evening you can walk on the track and feel your shoes start to stick to it there is so much rubber down.

Just road tyres are harder so they put less on the road, they also pick up quite a lot.

Also some is sent airborne, yep.
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"Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul."
Current Vehicles: '89 Kawasaki KDX200, '99 Yamaha XV535, '00 Honda ST1100 Pan-European, '08 Suzuki GSX-R1000, '08 Mitsubishi Lancer GS4 2.0 TDCi, '15 BMW 1 Series 116d Sport Turbo.
CBT: 27/08/08. Theory: 04/09/09. Module 1: 16/09/09. Module 2: 01/10/09.

[AngelGrinder]

I understand road tyres are harder...but just think how much there would be on the M25 for example?

But I mean where does all this rubber go, it doesn't decompose? (or am I wrong?)

Is the whole world, and my lungs, slowly gaining a thin black rubber crust?
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Currently Riding - 2002 Aprilia RSV1000 Mille

[The Artist]

That's like saying there is loads of water in the air, is it drowning me.

The world is quite a big place. It does decompose over a huge amount of time, perhaps 100s of thousand of years.

I reckon most just goes into the earth and slowly breaks down.