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Wheels and Tyres

The document discusses wheels, tires, and rims for vehicles. It describes the purposes of wheels and tires, and identifies different wheel types including wire or spoke, pressed steel disc, and light alloy. It also outlines various tire components like the casing, bead, and tread. The document explains tire construction and different tread patterns used for various operating conditions. It discusses tire types such as diagonal ply/cross ply, radial ply, and differences between tubed and tubeless tires.

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Gordy Mzalendo
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1K views9 pages

Wheels and Tyres

The document discusses wheels, tires, and rims for vehicles. It describes the purposes of wheels and tires, and identifies different wheel types including wire or spoke, pressed steel disc, and light alloy. It also outlines various tire components like the casing, bead, and tread. The document explains tire construction and different tread patterns used for various operating conditions. It discusses tire types such as diagonal ply/cross ply, radial ply, and differences between tubed and tubeless tires.

Uploaded by

Gordy Mzalendo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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V.

WHEELS AND TYRES

Objectives

By the end of the sub module unit, the trainee should be able to:

 Describe the purpose of wheels in the vehicle


 Identify different types of wheels and tyres
 Describe different types of rims
 Describe the different types of tread patterns made on tyres
 Explain the importance of tyre inflation pressures
 Describe the importance of tyre rotation
Wheels
The wheel must have the following characteristics;
 Light to enable the tyre to follow the contours of the road
 Strong to resist the many forces acting on it
 Cheap to produce
 Easy to clean
 Simple to remove
Types of wheels
1. Wire or spoke type
2. Pressed steel disc
3. Light alloy
1. Wire or spoke

Construction
It uses tangential spokes to transmit driving and braking forces. The inner and outer sets of spokes
are connected to the hub shell as wide apart as possible to provide lateral stiffness of the wheel.
A centre-lock or knock-on mounting is used whereby the drive is taken via serrations and the shell is
located between two cones, one formed on the hub and the other on a single large nut screwed
onto the hub to retain the wheel.
Left – hand threads on the offside hubs and right – hand threads on the nearside hubs are generally
used to prevent the nut working loose
Advantages
 It is a quick – change wheel
 Strong and light
 Ensures good circulation of air to the braking system
Disadvantage
 It is difficult to clean
2. Pressed steel disc

It is either bolted to the hub or the disc is permanently connected to the hub with a detachable rim.
Spherically seated nuts ensure a rigid mounting. To reduce the risk of wheel accidentally coming off
some manufacturers use left – hand threads on the nearside and right – hand thread on the offside.
The direction of thread is indicated by an L or R on the nut.
Advantages
 It is strong
 It is cheap to produce
 Easy to clean
 Simple to remove
3. Light alloy
The lightness of the wire wheel and the ease of cleaning of the pressed steel wheel have been
combined to make the light alloy wheel. It is cast to shape and then machined to give the final finish.

Advantage
 It has the appeal of attractive style
Disadvantage
 Much more costly
Types of rims
1. Well – base rims
2. Flat – base three – piece rims
3. Semi – drop centre rims
4. Flat – base divided type
1. Well – base rims

Construction
Well/ drop centre – it enables the tyre to be pressed into the recess so that the opposite side
(adjacent to the valve) may be levered over the rim flange.
Wire bead – the air pressure in the tyre causes the bead to ride up the slight taper and lock the tyre
to the rim.
Rim diameter – it is stated on the tyre.
Example; a tyre marked ‘145 × 12’ is fitted to a 12 – inch diameter rim; the 145 refers to the nominal
sectional width of the tyre in millimetres.
2. Flat – base three – piece rims

A split lock ring like a large circlip holds the flange in position. When the flange is pushed towards
the tyre, the lock ring may be removed.
N/B The stiff, heavy – bead tyres used on heavy vehicles require a detachable – flange type of rim.
3. Semi – drop centre rims

This two-piece rim is a compromise between the well-base and the flat-base rim, and is suitable for
light trucks. A split, detachable flange simplifies removal and the slight taper enables the tyre to lock
to the rim. The small well must be used when the tyre is being removed.
4. Flat-based divided type

This type of rim is made in two sections and bolted together by a ring of nuts adjacent to the rim. On
no account must you remove these nuts when changing a wheel. They are used on military vehicles.
N/B

Fitting wheel rims


TYRES
Functions
The pneumatic tyre serves the following purposes;
 Improves comfort
 Increases adhesion between road and wheels to give satisfactory grip for braking and
steering in various driving conditions.
 Provides a limited form of suspension as sharp road shocks are absorbed by the cushion of
air within the tyre.
Tyre construction
Tyres have to be constructed to perform several tasks, they must;
 Support the weight of the vehicle
 Provide good adhesion with the road surface to provide sufficient grip (friction) to allow for
driving and braking, including acceleration, braking and steering
 Have sufficient strength to resist tyre damage which may be caused through road surface
irregularities.
Components of a tyre
1. Casing
2. Bead
3. Tread
1. Casing
The casing must resist the expansion of the tube especially when the tube is subjected to road
shocks. Strength of tyre is governed by construction of casing; fracture of the casing causes the tube
to blow out i.e burst the tyre.
Construction of casing
Casing is made up of four or six layers of fabric. Each layer consists of a series of rubberized cords
laid side by side to form a sheet. For it to be strong a number of sheets or plies are placed together.
The number of plies and the relative angle between the cord and the tyre bead governs the tyre
characteristics. The cord material is man-made fibres such as rayon and nylon. These materials are
stronger and offer greater resistance to heat built up by the flexing of the tyre.
The casing is wrapped around the bead wire and moulded into shape.
2. Bead
It consists of a number of hoops of steel wire which are responsible for retaining the tyre on the rim.
3. Tread
It is bonded to the soft rubber which encloses the casing. Material used is natural or synthetic rubber
which is compounded with chemicals such as carbon-black to produce a hard abrasion-resisting
substance.
Various tread patterns are used to wipe water and grease off the road, so that the teeth formed by
zigzag circumferential grooves can bite into the surface. An excellent grip, especially on soft surfaces,
can be obtained by transversely slotting the tyre to form bold tread bars.
Tread pattern should be selected to suit the following operating conditions.
1. Normal touring requires a tread which gives quiet operation and provides effective adhesion
under wet, dry and greasy conditions.
2. High-speed operation places emphasis on the heat generated the noise level and the
resistance of the tyre to aquaplane. This is a condition where a water layer completely
separates the tyre from the road and totally destroys adhesion.
3. Cross –country tyres have to bite into mud, snow and loose surfaces, so heavy tread bars are
needed. Extensive use of this type of tyre on hard highways causes’ noise and component
wear.
Type of tyres
1. Diagonal ply/ cross ply
2. Radial ply
3. Tubed and tubeless tyres

Diagonal ply/ cross ply

It is composed of several layers of casing plies. The cords forming one ply run at an angle of about
to the cords of the adjoining ply. Each cord of the ply forms an angle of approximately to
the bead.
Advantages
Radial ply

Cords are arranged in a manner such they form an angle of to the bead i e cords are radially
disposed to the wheel. Radial ply offers a large resistance to side deflection and its effect on vehicle
handling is very noticeable.
Advantages

Tubed tyre
It has a rubber inner tube fitted inside the tyre casing.
Disadvantage
If the inner tube becomes punctured, the tyre deflates very quickly.
Tubeless
The inside of the casing and the outer surface of the bead is lined with a soft rubber which forms an
air-tight seal with the rim and eliminates the need for a separate tube.
Advantages

Tyre tread patterns


Tread enables tyre to grip the road surface in all conditions.
1. Deep, chunky tread – Off-road vehicles need a deep chunky tread to enable them to cope
with the difficult terrains likely to be encountered.
2. Deep tread pattern – This is necessary if a tyre is to grip the road surface during wet
conditions.

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