Tire
Tire (British tyre) is the part of the wheel which is made of rubber. There are tires on many vehicles, such as cars, airplanes, bicycles, wheelbarrows and other things that need to move around smoothly.
Tires need to be changed after the tread has been worn away. Driving/riding on worn tires is very dangerous. It can lead to the tire exploding and loss of control.
Construction
Tires are made of different types of rubber. Softer rubber is used for summer or when the tires need better traction, for example, in auto racing. Tires made out of harder rubbers are made for long lasting performance. There are many different types of tires. They come in different sizes and have different tread patterns.
There are many different sizes of tires. They are marked with 3 numbers and might look like: 225/60R16. The first number is the width in millimeters of the tire at the widest point when it is mounted and inflated. The second number is the sidewall (side of the tire) height as a ratio or percentage of the width. The last number is the wheel diameter in inches.
- Example
Tire size: 225/60R16
- Tire width = 225mm
- Sidewall height = 135mm (225 * .60 = 135)
- Wheel diameter = 16 inches
Tire Damage
Most tires today do not have a tube inside of them. There are grooves in the wheel that let the tire be popped into place and holds a lot of air pressure. With a crack in the wheel, there is no hope of holding air. Getting a leak in a tire is very common. The most common cause is a hole from a nail or screw. This can usually be fixed by patching the inside of the tire so that it can hold air again. If the hole is close to or in the side of tire, it can not be fixed. This is because the sides of the tire flexes support the weight of the vehicle. A patch will not be able to handle the stress.