How does tire tread affect vehicle operation?

When the vehicle moves on the road, the air is compressed between the grooves, the tire tread is the cause of noise. This is because the tire tread grooves in contact with the road surface have air trapped and compressed between the grooves and the road surface.

Important influences

Weight support:Tire tread holds the weight of the vehicle, especially during operation and movement. They help distribute weight evenly across the four wheels to maintain stability.

Ensuring comfort:Tire tread helps to reduce vibrations from the road surface. A good tire tread can minimize shock and ensure driver control on the road.

Control direction:Tire tread plays an important role in controlling the direction of your vehicle. When you turn the steering wheel, the tread provides the flexibility to control the direction of the vehicle. The tread must maintain enough pressure to ensure the vehicle does not "swerve".

Braking ability:Tire tread affects your vehicle's braking ability. Tire tread must have enough friction with the road surface to ensure effective braking. If the tread is too worn or doesn't have enough friction, it can make your vehicle difficult to control when braking.

Fuel economy:Tire tread can affect your vehicle's fuel efficiency. Over-worn or under-inflated tires can increase fuel consumption because they require more vertical rolling motion on the road.

Safe:Tire tread also plays an important role in vehicle safety. Proper tire tread helps prevent tire blowouts, a dangerous situation that can lead to loss of vehicle control.

Types of tire treads

Block shape: Tires with a block pattern with many interwoven grooves are very suitable for driving on snow and wet roads thanks to their stability and good steering ability, and optimal water drainage.

However, because the tread blocks are smaller and closer together, these tires also wear faster than other types of tires.

Asymmetrical form: Asymmetrical tread patterns are commonly found on high performance or sports car tires, as they exhibit superior performance during high speed cornering due to the large contact area, reducing wear on the outer areas of the tire tread.

However, due to the different patterns on each side of the tire, when installing the tire, it is necessary to install the outer and inner sides correctly.

Rib shape: Rib-shaped tire tread has grooves running along the tire surface (commonly called straight tread), with the advantages of low resistance, good stability and steering control due to large lateral grip, suitable for high-speed vehicles because it generates little heat.

However, this type of tire has the disadvantage of poor braking and acceleration on the road, so it is suitable for vehicles running on asphalt, used for the front wheels of trucks or buses.

Lug shape: Worm-shaped tire tread has grooves running across the tire surface (commonly called horizontal tread), with good steering and braking ability, excellent grip, usually tires for trucks, off-road vehicles on dirt roads, muddy roads. This type is not suitable for high speed driving due to high noise and resistance.

Rib-Lug shape: This is a tread pattern that works well on both asphalt and dirt, for both front and rear wheels, commonly found on SUVs, with grooves running lengthwise and across the tread (straight and horizontal). The rib pattern in the center provides good directionality, while the worm pattern on the shoulder enhances braking and steering.

Directional: Directional tread pattern has horizontal grooves on both sides of the tire pointing in the same direction. The advantage of this type is good steering and braking ability, good drainage means stability on wet roads, suitable for high speed driving.