4 Parts of a Common Car Tire
If you are an automobile enthusiast, then you can never neglect the importance of tire. But, have you ever wondered that how or from which components this tire is manufactured. The tire may seem like any other necessary component of a vehicle, but in reality, it’s the backbone of the vehicle which holds the whole load of the vehicle.
About 10 to 15 components are used to manufacture a single unit of a vehicle’s tire which includes several layers of rubber, steel wires, and fabric. Manufacturing of tire is a step by step procedure. Bead, sidewall and even the tread of the tire is manufactured separately and then joined together.
This article primarily explains the terms and different components of a tire.
Tread:
Tread has groves in it. It not only helps to keep the vehicle in contact with the road but its primary purpose is to provide grip during driving. Tread helps to evacuate water as well when the road is wet or when it is raining. It removes water circumstantially. If the tires have the pieces of rubber blocks on them, then they will be more efficient to drive on loose driving surfaces and dirt. The smooth surface tires whereas are best for the smooth surfaces like tarmac. Moreover, these smooth surface tires are more effective when driving at high speed since they produce less noise than the ones with rubber blocks on them.
Bead:
The purpose of the bead is to stick the rubber of the tire properly with the wheel of a vehicle. It is manufactured with the steel wires which help in maintaining the shape of the tire. When the tires are correctly filled with the air only then, the bead fits the wheel tightly. This helps the tire from slipping when the vehicle is accelerated at high speed. It also prevents the leakage of the air. Tires are bolted to the wheels so that they won’t come off when they are accelerated on drag strips for a longer period.
Sidewall:
Sidewall connects the bead of the tire with the tread. The handling features of the cars mostly depend on the sidewalls. It also provides a cushion during driving. Sidewalls also tell us how hard or soft the ride of the car is. For example when you drive and shift a load of the car while making a left or right turn, so it’s the sidewalls which keep the balance of load in driving. Low outline tires mean less air and thus rubber to cushion the blow of road bumps and vice versa.
15″ Euro Star Tyre by General Tyres
Carcass:
It is a skeleton of the tire which holds the whole structure of tire together. The carcass is melted along with the tread. The carcass is made up of several plys. If the tire is radial, then carcass is toughened with the steel wires. The wires usually go from bead to bead. If the tire is bias-ply, then either fabric or fiberglass is used.
Many of you would have already known about these features of the tire. But, the primary purpose of this article is to give a brief gist about one of the neglected yet essential parts of a vehicle to the new auto-enthusiast.