What is a Tyre

 Pneumatic tyre is a flexible, toroidal, compressed gas (normally air) container mechanically attached
to the outer circumference of rim of a vehicle wheel. The name is derived from “Attire” – a protecting
covering or coat.
 The rubber exterior of a pneumatic tyre is merely a flesh for a skeleton of fabric; this skeleton and the
manner in which it is constructed are of fundamental importance in establishing the tyre’s
characteristics.
 A tyre is an integral component of a vehicle and is the intermediary between the vehicle and the road.

Why Tyre is Required

 Supporting the vehicle weight including payload (load carrying capacity)
 Transferring Traction and Braking forces to the road surface (Traction, Torque and braking)
 Absorbing shocks (Cushioning and Enveloping)
 Changing and maintaining Direction of travel (Steering response and stability during cornering)
 Low Rolling Resistance (Low rolling resistance tires are designed to reduce the energy loss as a tire rolls,
decreasing the requiredrolling effort — and in the case of automotive applications, improving vehicle fuel
efficiency. Approximately 5–15% of the fuel consumed by a typical car may be used to overcome rolling
resistance.)
 Minimum Noise / Road Vibration
 High Speed safe operation Capability
 Aesthetics & Comfort

Tire Components

TRUCK BIAS Tyre

TRUCK RADIAL
 Radial (PCR) Tyre

 Tread: The portion of the tyre, which comes in contact with the road, is called the tread. It is designed to provide
the necessary traction, wear resistance, and allow for low heat build up and low noise.
 Side Walls: These are the layers of appropriate thickness of rubber compound applied on both sides of the tyre
carcass between the beads and tread.
 Plies: Plies are reinforcing members of the tyre, which are made from rubber coated fabric (Rayon, Nylon, Steel,
Polyester etc.

For bias tyres Nylon is the most commonly used fabric whereas Polyester is used for Passenger radial and steel for
truck radials.

 Bead: Layers of rubber coated high tensile steel wires formed into inextensible loops.

How To Read a Tyre

 Tyre Dimensions

Tyre Designations
 There are 3 types of tyre designations, which are used :
Numeric Metric Alphanumeric

10.00-20 16 PR JET TRAK 185/65 R14 VECTRA 82 T F78- 15 8PR JETRIB

10.00R20 16PR JS JDH 146/142 K 215 R14 C 10PR STEELKING

295/80 R22.5 16PR JS JUH

11R22.5 16 PR JW JUH
Understanding Tyre Designation

Truck Bias Tyre

Truck Radial Tubeless Tyre

Truck Radial Tyre

Car Radial Tyre

Correlation between Speed symbol and maximum speed

The table explains the relationship between the speed symbol shown on the tyre and the maximum speed, which is
possible with the particular tyre.
 Correlation Load index and tyre load capacity

The table explains the relation between the load Index shown on the tyre and actual load taking capacity.

Type of Tyres

Radial
Carcass ply cords run at 90 degrees to circumferential axis. Carcass stabilized by steel belts.

Bias
In Diagonal ( Bias ) ply tyre carcass ply chords extend to the beads diagonally run at an angle of 30 – 45 *with
respect to circumferential axis.

Advantage of Radial tyre :

 Longer tyre life resulting from lesser tread squirming & shuffling.
 Improved fuel efficiency due to Reduced rolling resistance
 Better high speed performance: Better dimensional & directional stability due to reduced edgewise bending.
 Better Vehicle handling due to:
  Minimum distortion in foot print area
 Higher flexibility of sidewalls
 Reduced side slip
 Greater traction , improved braking & cornering stability due to:
 Larger footprint
 More Uniform Pressure Distribution

Tubeless Tyres

What is a tubeless Tyre

 Tubeless tyres, as the name suggests, are tyres without the tube. The tyre is built in such a way that it can contain
the air by itself. It does not require a tube within it.
 The tyre and rim assembly form an air container, to “Seal” and “Contain” the compressed air inside the assembly.
 The tyre has a halo- or chloro-butyl lining on its inside which is airtight. Together with the airtight joint between
the tyre and the wheel, the membrane forms a container that holds the air for the tyre.
 A valve is fitted on to the rim for inflation or deflation to the assembly.

Advantages of Tubeless Tyres Use

Economy

 Since tube is eliminated , friction between tyre & tube is not experienced, thus lower rolling resistance,
improved fuel efficiency, less vibrations, less heat generation and better comfort.
 Chances of tube getting pinched under the bead while mounting are eliminated.
 The number of components used in a tyre wheel assembly gets reduced :
 The tube and the flap are both eliminated
 Lower tyre/wheel weight (un-sprung mass) results in better vehicle handling and therefore longer life.

Safety
 In case a nail or other sharp object penetrate a tubeless tyre, the air loss is not sudden. The tyre wheel assembly
continues to perform its function for some time before going flat. This ensures and is one of the biggest
advantages of a tubeless tyre.
 If there is a sharp penetration in a tube tyre, the air in the tube starts leaking suddenly and rapidly in all
directions. This causes the wheel assembly to loose stability thereby resulting in accidents.
 Since there is no tube in tubeless tyre the probable and associated potential problems such as “Defective
Splice”,“Defective Valve Base”, “Thin Gauge”, “Foreign matter” or “Pin Hole” are eliminated, ensuring safety
of the wheel assembly.
 Tubeless tyre beads are designed to seat on the rim bead seat area with higher “interference” (tight fit) as
compared to a tube type tyre. In the event of air loss the chances of bead unseating from the rim is less, therefore
providing higher safety.

Factors affecting tyre performance

The factors which influence tyre life:

 Inflation Pressure
o The science and the technology that has gone into producing even the best quality of tyre will go waste if the tyres
are not inflated to the recommended pressure – Pressure comensurating to the load carried. The best performance
of tyres can only be achieved when the tyre is inflated to the designated pressure based on the load per tyre.
o “Under inflation” or “Over inflation” on the tyre tend to impact tyre life, vehicle handling and safety. There are
two factors with weight distribution of the vehicle. One is contact patch and other linked to the tyre wear. This
 result in heat buildup/tyre temperature and thus loss of tyre life, premature tyre removals, increased rolling
resistance and fuel consumption.
o “Under Inflation” is more common than Over inflation. Tyre users are not always conscious about maintaining or
matching tyre pressure to the loads carried.
o In pneumatic tyre the “Air carries the load”. The best tyre performance and lower tyre CPKM are obtained by
maintaining correct tyre inflation pressure.
o It is important to remember that the total weight (GVW) carried may not exceed the registered laden weight
(RLW) or vehicle passing weight, but one side of the truck or one axle may be severely overloaded due to improper
distribution of the load in the pay load platform or loading area.
o Improper load distribution overloads the tyre (s). This condition combines with high speed, long hauls and load
transfers result in tyres wearing fast and premature removal of tyres

 Loads and Loading practices

o It is important to remember that even one trip of the truck, with improper load distribution may cause irreversible
damage to the tyres.
 Speed
o Excessive high speeds results in increased tyre running temperature. As the rubber gets heated up its modulus
(stiffness) gets reduced.
o Rubber being a good non conductor of heat the residual heat is retained causing increased tyre wear and
separation of components.

 Wheel Alignment
o A vehicle is said to be properly align when all the steering and suspension components and set as per the vehicle
manufacturer and when the tyre wheel assembly are running straight and true.
o Proper alignment is necessary for perfect vehicle control, uniform and even tyre wear and safety.
o Recommended to get the vehicle alignment checked and corrected as per vehicle owner’s manual as soon as tyre
are wearing unevenly or ride handling problems(vibrations, pulling to one side etc).

 Wheel Balancing
o A wheel which is not properly balanced may setup vibrations which can affect steering control. Wheels, tyres and
tubes are usually checked for balance before leaving factory.
o This balance is achieved by positioning weights on the wheel to counterbalance heavy spots on the tyre wheel
assembly.
o Properly balanced tyres are important for driving comfort and long tyre life.
o Tyres should be balanced when they are mounted on the wheels for the first time or when they are removed for
repair or periodically as per vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations.

 Tyre rotation
o Rotation of tyre in a vehicle is recommended for a uniform tyre tread wear on all wheel position to achieve
optimum tyre life.
o It is prefferred to rotate tyres as per vehicle manufacturers recommendation or in case of any uneven tyre wear
noticed.
o It is suggested to check wheel alignment, wheel balance and suspension before the tyres are rotated. Rotation
patterns /pictures to be incorporated.

 Road Conditions
o Vehicle /tyre operating conditions which significantly influence tyre life both in terms of new tyre life and
structural durability.
 Rough/abbrrasive road surface
 Paved road
 Straight road
 Broken up roads
 Hilly windings roads
 Unmade country roads

 Driving habits
o Careful driving habits will ensure optimum tyre life, unavoidable damages besides avoiding serious road accidents.
Some of the habits which cause serious damages to tyre and road accidents are:
 Over speeding
 Speeding over pot holes, stone etc.
 Quick starts and sudden stops
 Riding over road divider and other obstacles
 Sharp turns at high speeds
 Hitting the road, curbs, objects etc.
 Running on improperly inflated tyres
 Seasonal Effects
o Climatic and whether conditions in our country varies widely from region to region. Dry and extremely hot during
summer, extreme cold during winter and rains during monsoon.
o This variation in climatic conditions influence tyre life in terms of mileage and structural durability.

 Do's & Dont's

o Tyre Pressure checks including the spare tyre must be done regularly at least once in two weeks.
o Tyre pressure should be checked using an accurate pressure gauge.
o Tyre pressure should be checked when tyres are cold.
o Under inflation and over inflation will cause rapid tread wear and premature tyre failures.
o Tyre pressure should always be maintained as per the vehicle manufacturers recommendations, mentioned at
information placard, at door, owners manual.