Types of Tyres: Functions, Components and Properties

Tyres are the most essential automobile parts, as they contribute to vehicle performance. It includes vehicle handling, braking, comfort and acceleration. In addition, it ensures traction on the surface on which the vehicle’s wheels travel and prevents automobiles from slipping or skidding. 

However, there are different types of tyres perfect for every vehicle type, so one must choose it only after knowing its properties and functions.

There are several types of tyres available in the market. Manufacturers design car and bike tyres depending on the vehicle's make and model. Below are the types of tyres depending on seasonal, vehicle-specific, construction and tube.

On the Basis of Tubes 

1. Tube Tyres

One of the most commonly used tyre types, tube tyres enclose a rubber tube filled with air at a high pressure. In the case of tube tyres, there is an inner tube between the rim and the tyre. The outer section comprises synthetic rubber or tread.

Features

• Since this tyre is completely encased, rimming punctures or wear and tear are unlikely to occur

• Tube tyres are heavy in comparison to tubeless ones

• The cost of maintenance and repair is easy

2. Tubeless Tyres

Tubeless or pneumatic tyres do not require a separate inner tube. These tyres are lightweight, puncture-proof, cost-effective, and provide cushioning.

Features

• These tyres are more fuel-efficient due to their lightweight and proper heat dissipation

• Cost-effective and easy to repair and maintain

• Tubeless tyres are not prone to punctures

• Due to less uneven weight, these tyres ensure superb balance and control

• The absence of a tube within this tyre reduces friction. It helps the tyre to stay cooler.

• Tubeless tyres are safer as they prevent sudden air loss when punctures happen 

On the Basis of Construction

1. Cross-ply Tyres

These tyres have carcass layers made from nylon cord. These tyres sit diagonally across one another in sidewalls and tread at a 55-degree angle. Several rubber piles overlap, forming a thick layer. This results in less flexibility, causing it to become more sensitive to overheating.

Features

• Cross-ply tyres come with improved vehicle stability

• These tyres include low manufacturing cost

• These tyres ensure higher resistance against sidewall damages

2. Radial Tyres

Sidewalls of radial tyres are very flexible as steel cord plies sit on the heel of the tyre along with the belt on the casing. Moreover, radial tyres absorb impact shock and bump more effectively than a cross-ply variant.

Features

• Radial variants ensure superb steering comfort and road contact

• These tyres generate less heat when at high speeds

• Radial variants offer higher resistance during tread-related damage

• Radial tyres offer low fuel consumption

1. Summer Tyres

Summer tyres come with hard rubber compounds, shallow tread depth and asymmetric tread patterns. Moreover, summer tyres offer better traction and grip on wet and dry tarmacs. Summer tyres have a unique tread pattern featuring larger tread blocks and fewer sipes, resulting in enhanced braking performance, stability, and optimal handling during summer months.

Features

• Low rolling resistance helps in reducing fuel consumption

• Large tread blocks ensure improved fuel economy

• Shallow tread depth allows effective water evacuation on wet tracks, resisting aquaplaning

2. Winter Tyres

Installing these tyres in your car is necessary to tackle the challenges of driving in extreme winter. These tyres are made of a soft rubber compound that keeps them flexible even during extremely cold winters.

Features

• Deeper tread depth delivers maximum traction, biting grip, and outstanding stability on winter surfaces 

• The unique sipe design expels water and snow from its surface, thus facilitating superior grip.

• Winter tyres with increased sipe density offer unmatched aquaplaning resistance

3. All-Season Tyres

This type of car tyre is popular among car owners for multiple reasons. First, these tyres are reliable to provide dependable performance in summer and winter, both in dry and wet or snowy tarmacs. Furthermore, as you cover fewer miles per year, these tyres are a well-informed investment to avoid the hassle of semi-annual tyre replacements.

Features

• An intermediate tread compound ensures these tyres never become rigid in cold weather

• Its moderate tread depth ensures your vehicle is not adversely affected by the change in weather conditions

• Moderate groove pattern offers the tyres a biting grip to avoid hydroplaning on the snowy tarmacs

1. 4X4 Tyres

Designed to withstand the driving challenges in off-road conditions, 4x4 tyres help you drive through slush, mud, dirt and sleet. Notably, these also promise superior driving experience on city roads and highways. 

Features

• Due to robust construction, 4X4 models can bear the heavy weight of an SUV in extreme road conditions

• You experience stable car handling and superior control in both off-road and on-road driving conditions

• With an aggressive tread pattern and broader grooves, there is excellent traction and aquaplaning resistance on sludge and mud.

• The reinforced sidewalls of the 4x4 tyres prevent them from external damage when you drive through rough road conditions.

• These excellent sidewalls help reduce tread wear

2. Performance Tyres

Designed especially for sports car enthusiasts, the performance tyres can keep the friction with the tarmac high during rapid speed escalation. These tyre models are also responsive to the high-end features of your car.

Features

• Larger contact patches and smaller grooves ensure a comfortable grip when cornering at high speed

• Superb cornering efficiency assures your car never skids or slides

• These cars come with the premium rubber compound, effectively resisting heat build-up during high-speed drives 

• With the excellent rubber compound, there is a low risk of a tyre blowout. 

• Performance tyres offer a low aspect ratio. As a result, the shorter sidewalls of these tyres help in a faster steering response. 

Part-worn tyres are second-hand tyres that have been removed from cars for a second use. However, before selling these tyres, sellers undergo quality checks and ensure every part-worn tyre meets the safety guidelines. The minimum tread depth of a part-worn tyre must be 1.6mm. Only then, do they stock them in their inventory.

Features

• Since these are second-hand products, they are an economic purchase.

• As they undergo thorough testing and inspection, chances of risk are low.

• Some part-worn shipped from Germany or the UK come with a minimum legal tread depth of 3mm or 1.6mm respectively. So, these tyres will have plenty of treads and perhaps a couple of miles still left to run.

A deflated tyre is a common obstacle in a smooth car handling experience. Run-flats come with innovative technologies that allow you to drive at a specific speed up to a certain distance with a flat tyre. For example, in case of car tyre punctures, these tyres allow you to drive extra miles without compromising safety and handling stability.

Features

• You do not need to replace your car's tyres immediately after a puncture.

• Thanks to run-flat tyres, you do not need to carry extra tyres while travelling.

• Run-flats do not fall out of the rim when punctured. 

• You do not need professional assistance if you are stranded on a road with a punctured tyre. Instead, you can drive at a certain speed to a certain distance and visit a nearby repair centre. 

• These tyres can carry the weight of your car effectively and provide optimum handling stability. 

1. All Terrain/Dual Sport/ADV Tyres

These tyres come with an open tread pattern, deeper grooves and reinforced sidewall that adds to the strength. Moreover, these tyres have high puncture resistance and ensure excellent grip and traction in different road conditions. 

Features

• Open tread patterns help prevent aquaplaning

• These tyres ensure comfort and traction in dry, wet and lightly snowy conditions

2. Touring/Cruiser Tyres

Touring or cruiser tyres come with long tread life making them suitable for long-distance touring. Although they are not ideal for off-road journeys, they ensure excellent grip and superb cornering precision.

Features

• Large tread blocks disperse water on a large area reducing risks of aquaplaning

• Ensures a comfortable and quiet ride

• These tyres are suitable for all-season

3. Hyper-Sport/Performance Tyres

Usually, smaller than the other types of bike tyres, hyper sport variants ensure superb cornering precision when at high speed.  These tyres come with rounded shoulders.

Features

• Rounded shoulders ensure a smooth transition from contact patch to sidewall

• Their small size offers less mass and higher speed than larger variants

4. Sport Touring Tyres

These tyres are ideal for long-distance travel and sport riding. Moreover, sports touring variants offer a superb balance between the durability of a sports touring variant and the performance of the sports variant.

Features

• An aggressive tread pattern works best in wet conditions 

• Unique tread pattern disperses water effectively, ensuring optimal riding

• These offer grip in all weather conditions

5. Off-Road Tyres

Off-road tyres are made from a softer compound ideal for driving on mud or snow. You will find specially designed tread patterns and broader tread blocks on these tyre variants.

Features

• Reinforced sidewalls ensure a higher resistance to punctures.

• These variants come with knobs that extend into the tyre centre ensuring greater traction in rough road conditions.

6. Street Tyres

Street tyres are suitable for daily riding purposes. These tyres are made from hard rubber and ensure durability.

Features

• Due to more treads, street tyres also provide excellent grip on wet surfaces

• These tyres are designed in a way that they can bear high temperature

The construction and design of tyres in a vehicle determine its functioning in tough, wet and dry road conditions. Below are the functions of tyres in a vehicle:

• Supports Load on Vehicles: An automobile's weight revolves around the roll centre when a vehicle applies brakes, accelerates, moves or turns forward on the road. The weight-bearing capacity of tyres depends on the air pressure inside them. So, a tyre with correct air pressure ensures superb handling and traction.
• Absorbs Shocks During Motion: Bad or tough road conditions contribute to a bumpy ride. If your vehicles have the appropriate tyres, they allow a smoother and more comfortable driving experience.
• Allows Changing Direction: As you drive your vehicle, the right type of tyres can avoid skidding. Moreover, it enables your vehicle to move in the desired direction. Tyres help your vehicle to remain stable when it is in motion.
• Prevents Accident of Vehicle: A tyre helps a vehicle to move forward in wet and dry road conditions. So, it handles various road conditions and temperatures. Quality tyres with appropriate tread depth grip the road and help the vehicle to move avoiding accidents.
• Ensures Acceleration and Braking: Tyres allow braking, cornering and acceleration enhancing your vehicle's performance. Friction between tyres and the road surface ensures transmitting these forces to the ground.
• Improves Fuel Efficiency: As bigger tyres have high rolling resistance and are heavier, they decrease fuel efficiency. However, smaller tyres come with low rolling resistance and are fuel efficient.
• Enhances Vehicle Handling: Besides providing grip on wet and dry roads, tyres enhance vehicle handling and offer a comfortable and smooth ride. These features are paramount to a vehicle's performance on the road. Thicker tread ensures excellent traction, enhancing your stopping time.

A tyre comprises multiple components such as:

• Tread: The tread is a thick rubber compound design that allows appropriate traction on the road. It is a tyre part that comes in contact with the surface of the road primarily. The tread is prone to wear and tear.
• Bead: It is the tyre part that contacts the rim on its wheel. The bead has high strength and low flexibility rubber. It ensures that the tubeless tyre keeps air without any leakage. Moreover, the tight beat fit ensures the tyre does not shift circumferentially as the wheel rotates on the road.
• Sidewall: The part of the tyre that bridges the gap between a bead and a tread is the sidewall. Sidewall is made of rubber and is reinforced with steel cord or fabric. It ensures the sidewall has flexibility and tensile strength. A sidewall consists of air pressure and transmits torque that the drive axle applies to create traction. It supports the weight of a vehicle too.
• Belts: Belts are components of tyres having rubber-coated layers of fibreglass, rayon, steel, and other materials. All these are located in the centre of the tread and plies and across angles. Moreover, it ensures resistance to punctures and allows treads to be in contact with the road surface.
• Sipes: Sipes are treads that improve traction effort on various road surfaces. They create additional tread surface area for enhanced grip on snowy, wet, and icy road conditions.
• Grooves: Grooves are spaces on the outer section of tyres that come in contact with the road surface. It ensures space for the flow of water and enhances friction. It means grooves are suitable for hydroplaning.
• Shoulder: The outer section of the tyre tread that wraps into the sidewall area is the shoulder of a tyre. It means the shoulder is the tread portion between the tyre sidewall and the tread centre.
• Plies: Plies are parts of a tyre with layers of inextensible cords embedded in the rubber. They help to hold its shape by preventing the rubber from expanding against internal pressure.

Below are the properties of tyres that you should look for when buying one:

• Every tyre must come with a noise-resistant quality to ensure a comfortable riding experience.

• Ensure that the tyre you are choosing has superb traction and grip to function in smooth and rough road conditions.

• Check tyre size and material to ensure it can carry a vehicle load.

• Choose tyres according to vehicle make and model.

• Ensure tyre balance as uniform wear and tear of a tyre ensure uniform balancing.

• Tyres must have shock-absorbing features and ensure you experience a comfortable ride while you drive on uneven terrain.

All types of tyres require optimum care and maintenance that improves mileage and enhances performance. Moreover, it makes your vehicle safe to drive even when you are travelling through rough road conditions. Thus ensure to visit a reliable tyre maintenance and repair shop after a long journey. Remember poor tyre maintenance will lead to a flat tyre, premature tyre wear or even a blowout.