Tires 101: Everything You Need to Know About Tires

If you are like most people, you rarely give automotive tires a second thought. The rubbery connection between vehicle and road is something that most of us take for granted. There's more to your tires than just rubber and air, however. In fact, there's more going on with your tires than you could ever imagine.

Tire basics

In the simplest of terms, a tire is a flexible, circular container for compressed air. Used to support a vehicle, tires facilitate propulsion, turning, and braking. Tires also cushion passengers from bumps on the road.

What's in a tire

A single tire comprises numerous parts. Built from the inside out, each tire has a sturdy inner liner as its heart, explains How Stuff Works. Around the inner liner are fabric and steel belts that help the tire hold its shape and grip the wheel. Atop the belts one finds the tire tread.

Treads explained

Tread patterns vary according to the intended use of the tire. Typically constructed of rubber or a composite thereof, the tread is characterized by one or more geometric shapes known as grooves, lugs, sipes, and voids.

Grooves channel ground water away from the underside of the tire. Lugs are the tread part that makes contact with the road and provides traction. Lugs continually compress and decompress as the vehicle rolls forward or backward. This process is known as 'force variation,' explains AAMCO.

Sipes are cuts in the rubber that run perpendicular to the grooves of the tire. Sipes make grooves work better, because they move water from the center of the tread outward. Sipes also facilitate the flexibility of lugs. Voids provide room for the lugs to move. The space between lugs is called the void ratio. A higher void ratio means there is less contact area, while a low void ratio indicates greater contact between tire and road.

Sidewalls

The sidewall of a tire imparts a characteristic ride. Taller, softer sidewalls are more shock absorbent, while stiffer, shorter sidewalls offer superior steering and cornering.

Tire brands to trust

TireGet is pleased to present a range of quality tires for your consideration. We stock and sell tires from such respected makers as Kumho, Boto, Maxxis, Cachland and Forerunner. Whether you require tires for your passenger car, SUV or lawnmower, TireGet has the tires you need today.