Tyre Review Glossary
An overview of terms often used in our content & on the world wide web. Short, slightly funny explanations of terms such as Tyre Contact Patch, Tyre Beads and many more tyre & car related terms.
A Tyre Review Glossary to help you understand the 101 ways you can explain certain things within the tyre industry.
What are Wheel Weights?
Wheel weights... what do they actually do? In this video Jared, our Chief Tyre Inflator, will show the different wheel weights that can be used and what their purpose is. We're creating a new series of video clips called Tyre Glossary. This is to help you understand all the technical terms and abbreviation that get thrown around on the internet. Wheel weights is one of those terms that we get asked about frequently. For more information on other terms that we will cover, go and have a look at www.tyrereview.com.au/glossary Or you can find us on: INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/tyrereview/ FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/tyrereview WEBSITE https://www.tyrereview.com.au ---------------------------------------------------------------- Full Transcript - [Interviewer] Hey, Jared? - Yep. - [Interviewer] Tyre shop says that they have to fit new weights to my wheels. Can you explain what that's about? - What have you done, thrown a weight or something? - [Interviewer] I believe so. - Wait there. So, we've got tyre weights. I'll grab another example. So, the manufacturer makes a tyre and this tyre is generally going to be round and black but it might have heavier points and lighter points. And so they generally try and mark that with some coloured dots which I can't see on these because they've been used, but basically before they put the tyre on the car they actually put it on the rim and then they put it on a thing called a balancing machine. And that actually tells them, like they spin it up, and that tells them which sides are light and which sides are heavy. And they actually put weights on, so that the wheels are balanced because otherwise it'd be bump, bump, bump, bump, bump. So, if we look in here, this is one type of weight, sort of a stick on weight that goes inside the rim. So it's obviously a little bit lighter over here, so they stuck some weights here. And then that's another type of clip-on weight over here. So it obviously needed a little bit of left and right balancing, as well as the uppy, downy balance. That's the technical term, by the way. So when you step it up a notch and have something a bit more ridiculous, like a 35-inch tyre, then that requires significantly more weights. So you can see here we've got these clip-on rim weights here, but also stacks of heavier weights over here on the rim. Again, to help with that uppy, downy balancing. Again, technical term. So they're generally, I dunno, if they're lead or what they are, lead? Some sort of heavy stuff, stick on, make it balance. So that way you don't go bump, bump, bump, bump in the car.
What is a Tyre Contact Patch?
What is a tyre contact patch? A question we see asked on the world wide web quite often. That is why we've created a series of questions and answers regarding this question, tyres and other tyre related technical terms. We call it..... Tyre Review Glossary. In this video we get tyre contact patches explained with Tyre Reviews own Chief Tyre Inflator, Jared. He talks about what tyre contact patch actually means and why it is so important for you and your car. For more information on other terms that we will cover, go and have a look at: www.tyrereview.com.au/glossary Or you can find us on: INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/tyrereview/ FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/tyrereview WEBSITE https://www.tyrereview.com.au Full Transcript - [Interviewer] Hey Jared. - What? - [Interviewer] Can you explain tyre contact patches mate? - Yes, one second. So, tyre contact patches come this way. So, you've got a tyre and basically the whole thing has tread on it, but only a part of it is going to be touching the ground at the time. And so you sort of see how the more weight is on it, the more contact patch there is on the ground but this tyre would normally have air in it so it wouldn't flex as much. So a good way to think about it is got toilet roll that there is effectively all that is gonna be touching the ground. So that's where you want to be choosing a good quality tyre or having a tyre that's not worn out. So that way, so that way the bit of tyre that's actually touching the ground is going to be durable, it's going to be good in wet weather, it's going to have lots of grip for if the the poo hits the fan. So that is tyre contact patches. It's just that small hand span size that's touching the ground at the one time.
What are Tyre Beads?
What are tyre beads? And how do they keep the tyre and wheel connected? In this video, Jared our Chief Tyre Inflator, talks about what tyre beads are, what their purpose is and new developments coming in the world of tyre beads. We're creating a new series of video clips called Tyre Glossary. This is to help you understand all the technical terms and abbreviation that get thrown around on the internet. For more information on other terms that we will cover, go and have a look at www.tyrereview.com.au/glossary Or you can find us on: INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/tyrereview/ FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/tyrereview WEBSITE https://www.tyrereview.com.au Full Transcript - [Interviewer] Hey Jared? - Yeah. - [Interviewer] Can you tell us about tyre beads? - Yes, glad you asked that. Come this way. That was a bit close, wasn't it? So, tyre beads. To talk about this we need a rim. And some grunts, and we need a tyre. So, we have a tyre, we have a rim. The tyre bead is the thing that connects the tyre to the rim. So, if we look at these Pirellis, you've got this bit here, this chunky bit of rubber which forms a positive connection with the rim. And there's actually a, generally a steel cable going through here as well, or some sort of reinforcement that means that under cornering pressures, everyday driving, that sort of thing, the tyre is not very likely to pop off. So if we look at this, you can see the structure here on the rim and these parts here which is basically when the tyre is inflated it's pushing out on these ridges in the rim. So the tire's less likely to come off. And so it's interesting in the four-wheel driving world, they're even starting to change the profile of the rims so that they're, even on lower pressures, they're less likely to come off, or you're less likely to pop a tyre off when you're cornering at low pressures. I'm actually interested to see what happens with those as we move forward. But anyway, that's what a tyre bead is.
What are Tread Blocks?
What are Tread blocks and what are they used for? Jared, our Chief Tyre Inflator will show you exactly what they are by utilising one of the mud tyres we have laying around in our warehouse. They have a pretty significant role to play... more in the video! For more information on other terms that we will cover, go and have a look at www.tyrereview.com.au/glossary Or you can find us on: INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/tyrereview FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/tyrereview WEBSITE https://www.tyrereview.com.au -------------------------------------------------- Full Transcript - [James] Hey, Jared! - Yup? - [James] Can you explain tread blocks? - Tread blocks? I'm glad you asked that. Let me just put this hideously expensive fishing rod . You can bleep that out, right? Ahh! So, tread blocks, glad you asked, James. So tread blocks, let me get this tyre over here. I'll bring him out. Whoa, this is a 35-inch tyre. It is the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss. And you can see here, these individual pieces are the tread blocks. So sort of a common way, easy way, to refer to these parts of the tread pattern, but even on smaller tyres we still have tread blocks. So, I mean, you'd almost call this a rib really, rather than a tread block, but you could sort of say these ones here on the side are tread blocks, but they're actually, these little bits, in between here are sipes, separating them. But even these sipes here actually aren't the full depth of the tread block. So tread blocks, back to that question. This is a tread block. It's just a small part of the tyre tread pattern.
What are Rim Protectors?
What are Rim Protectors and what is their use? Do you like to hug curbs when you're parking the car? Then you'll be glad to know Rim Protecters can save your wheels. Jared talks about the purpose of Rim Protectors and why they don't all look the same. Our Tyre Review Glossary is created to help answer questions that you might have regarding a lot of the technical tyre terms that get thrown around. For more information on other terms that we will cover, go and have a look at https://www.tyrereview.com.au/glossary Or you can find us on: INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/tyrereview/ FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/tyrereview WEBSITE https://www.tyrereview.com.au -------------------------------------------------- Full Transcript - [Speaker] Hey Jared. - What? - What are rim protectors? - I'm glad you asked that. Come over here, so rim protectors are a non structural part of the tyre which is aimed to protect the tyre, so you can see it here, if you're not a very good driver and you hit the tyre against the curb. So, they're non-structural so it doesn't actually matter if you brush them up against the curb or give them, you know, rough treatment. If you're a bit worried about it make sure you go see your tyre shop but you will see these on probably more high-end tyres and they're also- you have different levels of rim protector as well, so we're lucky enough to have two Pirelli tyres. This is the P7 here and this is the P0 and you can see the rim protector on the P0 is actually quite a lot more chunky than the rim protector on the P7. [plane whirs overhead] Ignore the plane going overhead because we're near an airport. Good one. You can even see them on like, big mud tyres like this. So this is a 35 inch mud terrain tyre which still has a rim protector. However, if you're stupid enough to buy rims that actually come outside the tyre, it's your own damn fault and you're still going to end up grinding your rims. Probably not with something like this, but with a low profile tyre, then it's your own fault. [Outro Music]
Want to know why a Mud Terrain Tyre does what it does? Check this out!
Mud terrain tyre's come in a lot of shapes and sizes, but there are certain characteristics that define what a mud terrain tyre is. Jared, our Chief Tyre Inflator, compares a mud terrain tyre with a passenger tyre to show you the main differences. For more information on other terms that we will cover, get on over to our website below: www.tyrereview.com.au/glossary
What are Asymmetrical Tyres? Discover what's behind these unique designs and why?
What are Asymmetrical Tyres? These aren't just any tyres; they're designed for peak vehicle performance! Join Jared in this exciting educational video as he dives into the world of asymmetrical tyres, teaches you how to spot them, shares valuable tips for usage, and reveals common mistakes to steer clear of!
Unlocking the Mystery of Tyre Sipes: Why They Matter!
Tyre sipes are not just simple cuts on your tyre; they're the secret to enhanced performance and safety! Join Jared as he dives into what tyre sipes really are and why they play a crucial role in your driving experience. Plus, he’ll guide you on where to spot these vital features on your tyre. For even more insights into related terms, check out www.tyrereview.com.au/glossary!
What are Tyre Sidewalls?
Jared, our chief tyre inflator talks about what tyre sidewalls are. How it impacts on the performance of driving and what part of the tyre is considered the tyre sidewall. Tyre sidewall is seen as the vertical section of tyre between the wheel and the tread pattern. The sidewall is visible when the tyre is mounted on a vehicle. More on that in the video. For more information on other terms that we will cover, go and have a look at www.tyrereview.com.au/glossary Or you can find us on: INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/tyrereview/ FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/tyrereview WEBSITE https://www.tyrereview.com.au Full Transcript - [James] Hey, Jared. - Yo. - Can you explain tyre sidewalls? - I'm glad you asked that, James, sidewalls. So you've got the tyre. You've got the tyre here. Like this whole thing is a tyre, right? So a sidewall is this bit here. That's the sidewall of the tyre, and it encompasses everything from the bits that keep it onto the rim, all the way through to this transition here, right at the shoulders, into the actual tread face. So the sidewall changes depending on the type of tyre. So, this sidewall, which is an SUV sidewall, is probably going to be a little bit more flexible. Ignore the plane, coming over the top. Whereas this sidewall is on a P Zero, and it's a whole bunch less flexible. It's also a whole bunch of rim protector in there as well. So that's going to offer you a less comfortable drive but you're going to get a whole bunch more performance, stiffer cornering, and that sort of stuff. Stiffer cornering? We'll roll with that, out of that. But if you look at, say, even a bigger tyre, like this Kumho Mud Terrain, you can see how big the sidewall is in this, and so there's a whole bunch more rubber in that and hence, a whole bunch more weight. So that's sidewalls.