Tire and Wheel Theory

Chapter 61
 Objectives
• Describe how a tire is constructed
• Understand the various size designations of tires
• Tell the design differences between radial and
bias tires
• Be able to select the best replacement tire for a
car
 Introduction
• Service technician should be able to:
– Discuss aspects of tire design
– Help customers make safest choice
• Tires and wheels important safety and service
specialty area
 Tire Construction
• Several layers of rubber, cords, two
rings of wire
– Casing (carcass) – internal tire
structure
– Ply – metal or fabric rubberized
cord
• Provide strength
• Ends of plies wrap around steel
bead
– Bonded to side of tire
• Beads – coils of wire at side edges
– Chafing strips protect beads
from rim
• Belt – cord structure made of plies
– Under the tread only
• Tread – section of tire that rides on
the road
 Tire Cord and
Tire Ply Design
• Rubber must be reinforced with fabric, fiber,
steel cords
• Bias-ply tires have plies that cross at 35-45°
angles
– Ride softer, but wear faster
• Radial-ply tires have casing plies that run across
the tire from bead seat to bead seat
– Longer tread life, better grip, improved fuel
economy
• Larger footprint gives better grip
 Tire Tread
• Grooves in tread allow traction on
wet surfaces
– Allow tire to flex without
squirming
– Design is a compromise
• Sipes – small grooves in tread like
knife cuts
– Clear water off the road
• Ribs pump water through grooves
to back of tire
• Different tread patterns for different
driving conditions
• Asymmetrical patterns improve wet
performance
Tire Tread
• Tire tread depth
gauge.
Tire Tread
• Wear indicators are
also called wear bars.
When tread depth is
down to the legal limit
of 2/32", bald strips
appear across the
tread.
 Tire Tread Material
• Rubber must be
vulcanized
(heated) to be
stable
• Chemicals
added to natural
rubber to
improve
performance
 Tubeless Tires and
Traction
• Tubeless tires
– Inner liner bonded to tire
• Seals air into tire
• Thicker than liner on tube-type tire
– Tubeless tires safer than tube-type
• Does not go flat immediately when punctured
• Traction
– How well tire grips the road
– Affected by:
• Road surface, contaminants
• Tread material, inflation pressure, tread width, etc.
 Tire Sidewall Markings
• Tire size listed on sidewall
– Profile is the tire’s height
– Aspect ratio is height-to-width
ratio
• Load index – maximum load at
designated speed rating
– Related to strength of sidewall
plies
• Speed rating indicates better
handling characteristics
• New speed ratings developed for
speeds over 168 mph
Some tires use letters at the end of the
tire size (suffixes) to indicate special
applications including the following.
LT = light truck
ML = mining and logging
MH = mobile home
ST = special trailer
TR = truck
 Service Description

P205/75R x 15 92H
205 cross-sectional width in mm
75 aspect ratio
R radial construction
15 rim diameter in inches
92 load index
H speed rating (130 mph/210 km/h)
 Load Rating
• How much weight a tire can
safely support at a specified air
pressure
• Amount of load determined by
area of tire and air pressure in it
• Vehicle’s gross weight rating
(GVW or GVWR) includes
weight of vehicle, passengers,
luggage
– Curb weight – weight of
vehicle without people
• DOT symbol indicates the tire
meets DOT safety standards
Load Index
Ply Rating / load range
 Letter Maximum Rated Speed

speed L 120 km/h (75 mph)

rating M 130 km/h (81 mph)

N 140 km/h (87 mph)
P 150 km/h (93 mph)
Q 160 km/h (99 mph)
R 170 km/h (106 mph)
S 180 km/h (112 mph)
T 190 km/h (118 mph)
U 200 km/h (124 mph)
H 210 km/h (130 mph)
V 240 km/h (149 mph)
W 270 km/h (168 mph)
Y 300 km/h (185 mph)
Z Open-ended*
*The exact speed rating for a particular Z-rated tire is determined by the tire
manufacturer and may vary according to size. For example, not all Brand X Z-
rated tires are rated at 170 mph, even though one size may be capable of these
speeds.
 Tread Wear
The tread wear grade is a comparison rating based on the
wear rate of a standardized tire, tested under carefully
controlled conditions, which is assigned a value of 100. A
tire rated 200 should have a useful life twice as long as the
standard tire's.

A tire wear rating of 100 is equal to 10,000 miles

 Traction

Traction performance is rated by the letters AA, A, B, or C,

with AA the highest.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The traction rating is for wet braking
distance only! It does not include cornering traction or dry
braking performance.
 All-Season Tires
• Radial tires have more
traction on snow
• Specially designed
pockets and slots
• Labeled with mud and
snow designation
 HIGH-FLOTATION TIRE SIZES
These tires are usually larger than conventional tires and usually
require a wider than normal wheel width. High-flotation tires have a
size designation such as 33 x 12.50R x 15LT:
33 = approximate overall tire diameter in inches
12.50 = approximate cross-sectional width in inches
R = radial-type construction
15 = rim diameter in inches
LT = light truck designation
 Temperature Resistance
Temperature resistance is rated by letters A, B, or C, with A the
highest rating.
 ALL-SEASON TIRE DESIGNATION

Most all-season tires are rated and labeled as M & S,

MS, or M + S, and therefore must adhere to general
design features as specified by the Rubber
Manufacturers Association (RMA).
One design feature is that the tire has at least 25
percent void area. This means that the tread blocks
have enough open space around them to allow the
blocks to grab and clean themselves of snow and
mud.
 Snow Tires
• Snow tires have deeper tread grooves
– Should be installed on all four wheels
• Most manufacturers recommend against chains
– Cable chains are not as effective as conventional
 Low Pressure Monitoring

• Run-flat tire has stiffer sidewall, tighter bead

– Can partly support the car even with no air
– Can be driven up to 70 miles without damage
• All new vehicles since 2006 have low-pressure
warning system
• Low tire pressure monitored using direct or
indirect method
Low Pressure Monitoring
 DOT TIRE CODE
All tires sold in the United States must be approved by the U.S. Federal
Department of Transportation (DOT).
NOTE: Most race tires are not DOT-approved and must never be used on
public streets or highways.
The DOT code includes letters and numbers such as MJP2CBDX264.
The first two letters identify the manufacturer and location. For this
example, the first two letters (MJ) mean that the tire was made by the
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in Topeka, Kansas. The last three
numbers are the build date code. The last of these three numbers is the
year (1994), and the 26 means that it was built during the 26th week of
1994. Starting with tires manufactured after January 1, 2000, the tire build
date includes four digits rather than three digits. The new code such as
“3496” means the 34th week of 2006 (“3406”).
UTQG System
 Tire Quality Grading and
Tread Wear
• UTQG system rates tread wear, traction,
temperature dissipation ability
• Tread wear varies with:
– Wheel alignment
– Road surface texture
– Tire rotation maintenance
– Vehicle speed and braking practices
– Weight of vehicle
– Size of tire
• Tread wear ratings range from 100 to 500, in
increments of 20 A tire wear rating of 100 is
equal to 10,000 miles
 Traction Grade
• First letter in tire rating is traction grade
– Indicates stopping ability on wet asphalt and
concrete
– Braking only in straight ahead direction
• Second letter is temperature grade
– Tire’s resistance to generating heat
– Ability to dissipate heat at highway speeds
• Compact spare tire is for temporary use only
– Many limited to 31 mph for 31 miles
 Changing Tire Size
• If tire size changed, substitute tire with equal or
greater load-carrying capacity
• As diameter of tire increases, load capacity
increases
• If lower profile tire installed, wider tire and larger
diameter wheel used
• Overall diameter of replacement tire must be
+2% to -3% of original tire
• When tire diameter changed, speedometer must
be recalibrated
Outside diameter is calculated by adding the wheel
diameter to the cross-sectional height of the tire,
multiplied by 2.
 Wheels
• Wheels have two parts: center (flange) and rim
• Drop center (rim well) facilitates removal and
installation of tire
• Safety beads keep the tire bead on bead seat
• Hub-centric – center of wheel has machined
counterbore that pilots on machined area of hub
• Stud-centric – wheels locate on wheel studs
Rim components
Wheel Offset

Offset is a very important

variable in wheel design.

If the center section

(spider) is centered on
the outer rim, the offset is
zero.

Wheel offset is often

referred to as ET, which
stands for Einpress
Tieffe in German.
 On four-lug axles and wheels, the measurement is
simply taken from center to center on opposite studs or
holes.
 On five-lug axles and wheels, it is a little harder. One
method is to measure from the far edge of one bolt hole
to the center of the hole two over from the first.
 Custom Wheels
• Mag wheels use magnesium silicon alloy
– Expensive, not corrosion resistant
• Custom wheels for street use are single piece
castings of light alloy aluminum
– Weather resistant coating
• Wheel offset – difference between rim centerline
and mounting surface of the wheel
• Negative offset increases track width of tires
• Positive offset found on front-wheel-drive cars
 Negative Offset

The wheel has a negative offset if the center section is

inboard (or “dished”) from the wheel centerline.
Back
Spacing
Back spacing, also
called rear spacing or
backside setting, is the
distance between the
back rim edge and the
wheel center section
mounting pad. Back
spacing can be
measured directly with a
ruler.
 Lug Studs and
Lug Nuts
• Number of lug studs depends on vehicle load
• Bolt pattern 6-5½ is six-bolt pattern spaced
around 5½ inch circle
• Lug nuts may be standard or metric
• Lug nuts have serrated shank to remain tight
during tightening
• Lug nuts for cast wheels are long and thick
– Must be used with a washer
If replacement wheels are used on any vehicle, check
with the wheel manufacturer as to the proper type and
style lug nut.
 Tire Valve Stems
• Passenger car valve stems usually rubber
– Designed for pressures less than 62 psi
• Spring loaded valve core screwed into valve
stem
• Some have a gasket to prevent air loss past
valve core
• Short stem used when there is a hub cap
• Long stem accommodates full wheel covers
Most vehicles have recommended tire inflation figures
written in the owner's manual or on a placard or sticker
on the door post or glove compartment.
Proper inflation