
The manufacture of tires is often highly regulated for this reason. Unmaintained tires can lead to serious hazards for vehicle and vehicle operators, ranging from flat tires which can lead to damage to the vehicle, to blowouts, where tires explode during operation. Metal tires are still used on locomotives and railcars, and solid rubber (or other polymers) tires are still used in various non-automotive applications, such as some casters, carts, lawnmowers, and wheelbarrows. Pneumatic tires are used on many types of vehicles, including cars, bicycles, motorcycles, buses, trucks, heavy equipment, and aircraft. Early rubber tires were solid (not pneumatic). Before rubber was developed, the first versions of tires were simply bands of metal fitted around wooden wheels to prevent wear and tear. The tread provides traction while the body provides containment for a quantity of compressed air. The materials of modern pneumatic tires are synthetic rubber, natural rubber, fabric, and wire, along with carbon black and other chemical compounds. Tires provide a footprint, called a contact patch, that is designed to match the weight of the vehicle with the bearing strength of the surface that it rolls over by providing a bearing pressure that will not deform the surface excessively. Most tires, such as those for automobiles and bicycles, are pneumatically inflated structures, which also provide a flexible cushion that absorbs shock as the tire rolls over rough features on the surface. Tractor tires have substantial ribs and voids for traction in soft terrain.Ī tire ( North American English) or tyre ( Commonwealth English except Canada) is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide traction on the surface over which the wheel travels.

For the film, see Rubber Tires.Īssorted new automotive road tires, showing a variety of tread patterns.
