Looking for something specific? Check out these posts featuring 'Tire Tread.'
All tires generate noise as air flows through their tread grooves and they roll into and out of contact with the road. Tire designers have to balance tread design noise with service-appropriate traction, for example, wild looking tread designs that deliver aggressive off-road traction are more...
Diagonal tread wear is intermittent angled wear across the face and all of the way around the circumference of rear tires. It is caused by incorrect rear wheel toe settings that direct the tires to follow a path slightly different than the vehicle. Uneven and unusual tire wear patterns...
Tread Width Measuring Tread width is typically thought of as a measurement between the outboard and inboard edges of a new tire's tread design. Ideally it approximates the width of the tread that comes into contact with the road. Unfortunately measuring tire tread width isn't as simple as...
Tread Depth Tread depth is a vertical measurement between the top of the tread rubber to the bottom of the tire's deepest grooves. In the United States, tread depth is measured in 32nds of an inch. Because it is difficult to accurately measure tread depth with a ruler, tread depth is best...
Also called tire tread designs, tire tread patterns are the arrangement of continuous ribs, independent tread blocks, circumferential and lateral grooves, as well as the thin sipes molded into the tread to fine-tune noise, handling, traction and wear. Tire tread patterns feature different basic...
What Are All Those Lines, Numbers and Letters on a New Tire's Tread? While tires may appear to be a homogeneous piece of rubber after they are vulcanized during curing in their molds, most tires feature dozens of fabric, metallic and/or rubber components that must be shaped, sized and...
Shop Tires Shop Tires While it is simple to place a Lincoln penny in the tread groove of a worn tire and use Abe's likeness as a guide, we don't think Honest Abe knows what's best for today's drivers. The Lincoln penny tread depth test has been touted for years to be a suitable method of...
While coins can be used to estimate tread depth, using a calibrated tire tread depth gauge is a far more precise way of knowing how much tread you have left, and when to start budgeting for a new set! In the U.S., tread depth gauges measure in inches, specifically in 32nds of an inch, while...
The term "tramlining" is being used to describe when directional control is disrupted by the vehicle's tendency to follow the longitudinal ruts and/or grooves in the road. Its name could be compared to the tram or trolley driver who does not steer because his vehicle follows the path...
Hydroplaning happens when one or more tires is lifted from the road by a wedge of water that gets trapped in front of and under a tire as the vehicle drives through water. Hydroplaning most frequently occurs during heavy rainstorms when water creates puddles on the highway or expressway. In...
The contact patch of a tire that’s inflated with pressurized air is also called its tread footprint. The contact patch is the result of the vehicle’s weight pressing its round tires against the road, requiring their treads to conform to relatively flat surfaces. A tire’s...
Need help choosing the right products for your vehicle? Our team of highly trained experts has the knowledge and passion to help. Just pick up the phone and give us a ring. Or let's chat via email. We love solving problems and lending a hand (or an ear).
Contact Us