To solve that problem, researchers at Goodyear created a conductive rubber compound that includes silver.
Michelin developed a special rubber compound just for the Caddy's Pilot Sport 2 tires, which deliver unbreakable grip.
Goodyear and Michelin, among others, use silica grit in the rubber compound, aiming to achieve the same benefit as spreading sand on a slippery road.
Swell packers are spongelike tubes, not much larger than a rolling pin, coated in a rubber compound that swells when it comes into contact with hydrocarbons.
Unlike regular car tires, Formula One tires are made of a rubber compound designed to last only a few laps at optimum speed and grip.
In the last two seasons, a rubber compound introduced in 2011 by the tire manufacturer Pirelli also helped enhance the racing.
To overcome this problem, the engineers altered the rubber chemically to produce a rubber compound with better grip in hard driving.
The highly cushioned sole uses a "sticky rubber" compound that increases grip in wet weather, although it also wears out quicker than normal rubber.
Such a buyer may own a multiseason set of tires, and a winter set, perhaps Firestone's $80 FT 70 C cold-weather tire, with its special rubber compound, mounted on separate wheels.
Of all the products that can be traded in such exchanges, the humble automobile tire, a circular piece of rubber compound with a tread, is near the top of many lists.
