Important Things You Need to Know About Tire Tread

Tire tread has many different types, so the ability to grip the road, drainage and noise levels are also different. Here are the important things you need to know about tire tread.

What is T​ire Tread?

Tires are the most critical component in a car. It is not only the part in direct contact with the road, but the tire is also a part that supports the entire weight of the vehicle. Tires are made up of tire cover, blades, burlap, and tread.

Tire tread is essential for all types of vehicle

In there, tire treads are made of grooves of different shapes and depths. Tire treads are rubbing parts in direct contact with the road. So, they have a significant influence on the movement of the vehicle.

When the car is moving on the road, the air is compressed between the grooves, and tire treads cause noise. It is because the tread groove is in contact with the road surface where the air is entrained and compressed between the gutters and the road surface.

When the tire leaves off the road surface, compressed air bounces off the grooves that make noise. The noise of the tire increases if the tire is more easily drawn into the grooves. Such as block or lug tire treads can make more noise than the ribbed one.

The frequency of noise will also increase in proportion to vehicle speed. Besides, in rainy conditions, the trench has the effect of pushing water on the road surface from the track, ensuring the contact of the tires with the road surface.

For a more general view, the article will distinguish some types of car tire treads available on the market and their effects on the operation of the vehicle.

Types of Tire Tread

1. Rib Shape

The rib-shape treads have grooves running along with the tread (often called spikes). With small resistance, stability, and reasonable steering control due to sizeable horizontal traction, it is suitable for high-speed vehicles.

However, this type of tire tread has the disadvantage of poor braking and acceleration. So, it is suitable for vehicles traveling on the tarmac, used for the front wheels of trucks or buses.

2. Lug Shape

The lug-shape tread has trenches that run across the tread surface (commonly known as transverse spikes). It has good steering, strong braking ability, excellent grip, which is often used for truck and off-road vehicles.

For large lugs, this type of tread is not suitable for high speeds due to noise and high drag.

3. Block Shape

The tire has many treads of blocks with many interlocking grooves that are suitable for driving on snowy and wet roads thanks to its stability, driving ability, and optimal drainage.

However, because the block-shape tire treads are smaller and closer to each other, it wears faster than the different types. Therefore, they are suitable for winter tires, or multi-season tires in passenger cars, which can be used as the rear wheel of Radial tires for ordinary vehicles.

4. Asymmetric Shape

The asymmetric tread is often seen in high-performance tires or sports cars, because they show superior ability when turning at high speed due to the large contact area, reducing wear on the outside of the tire surface. 

5. Rib-Lug Shape

It is a type of tread pattern that is good for both asphalt and dirt roads, both for the front and rear wheels, commonly found in SUVs, with grooves running along and across the tread. The rib-shaped tire tread gives proper orientation, while the lug pattern on the cover enhances braking and steering.

6. Directional Shape

The directional pattern has horizontal grooves, where both sides of the tire are facing in the same direction. The advantage of this form is the ability to drive and brake well, and good drainage means stability on wet roads, suitable for high speed running.

Why Is Tire Tread Important for All Types of Vehicle?

Tire tread is in direct contact with the road. The grooves of different tread shapes mainly push the water on the road surface out of the track to ensure the communication of the tire with the road surface.

The groove is the usually zigzag form or diagonal backward in the rolling direction. The deeper the slot as much deformation and grip as possible, but the less mellow when rolling.

Therefore, the tire with small tire tread is often used for cars rolling on the right roads (highways, city roads) to ensure the smoothness of the vehicle. Moreover, large tread pattern, deep trench, often used for trucks, cross-country cars and vehicles operating in snowy, muddy areas.

Tire treads significantly affect the service life of tires, but not the only factor. According to car care and maintenance engineers, tire life is often affected by the following factors:

– Tire quality is the first-factor determining tire durability. Good or bad tires are shown by rubber material, metal fiber, layer structure and number of layers

– Load: Each tire has a different load index; exceeding this index is the cause of fast tire failure.

– Tire rotation: Turning cars will overcome uneven wear, thereby increasing tire life. Vehicle users can change the tire by firmly grasping the steps to rotate tires and align wheels.

– Tire pressure: Pressure significantly affects tire life, as shown by tire wear.

– Road conditions, weather temperature, etc.

In addition to the maintenance issues after every 20,000 km of rolling, checking tire pressure must also follow the periodic rolling (about 60,000 km of rolling) periodically to ensure tire life. The owner should change the tire when the tired flower is worn to the prescribed limit to ensure the vehicle’s safe operation.

Final Words

Tire tread is an integral part of automobile tires, much affecting the movement of the vehicle. Each type of tire tread will meet different conditions of the road and the type of vehicle used. The article has shown essential things you need to know about tire tread. Please share your knowledge about this topic and comment below if you have any questions!