SimpleTire's glossary of tire terms

Here you go - a tire dictionary with everything you ever wanted to know about tire definitions, all in SimpleTire's tire glossary of tire terms. Some of it is a bit technical, and a lot of it you don't really need to know unless you're just a tire nerd like we are.

If you have any questions, one of our tire experts is just a click away.

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B

• Balancing: Using weights to correct mass distribution imbalance on a spinning wheel and tire assembly.
• Bead: The bead of the tire clamps securely to the wheel and creates an air-tight seal.
• Bias Tires: Bias ply tires were the earliest form of automotive tires with the crown and sidewall plies overlapping supporting both the tread and sidewall, resulting in a stiffer sidewall and higher puncture resistance.
• Bias-Belted Tires

C

• Camber Thrust
• Centrifugal Thrust
• Circle of Forces
• Contact Patch: The portion of the tire in actual contact with the road surface.
• Cornering Force

D

• DOT Code: U.S. required serial number that identifies where it was manufactured, the size & manufacturer's code, along with the week and year it was manufactured. Example "DOT AF WD9E 0517" indicates the tire was made in the 5th week of 2017.

F

• Force Variation

I

• Inflation Pressure
• Inner Tube

L

• Load Rating: The tire load rating refers to the amount of weight each tire can safely carry when properly inflated.
• Load Sensitivity
• Lug Tread

M

• Measuring Tire Pressure

P

• Ply: Layers of materials (such as nylon, rayon, kevlar) that, along with the belts, give a tire it's shape and strength once inflated.
• Pneumatic Trail

R

• Radial: Radial ply tires (today's standard) use separated sidewall and crown plies to give improved comfort, sidewall flexibility, better handling and heat dissipation.
• Rain Groove
• Relaxation Length
• Retread
• Rims
• Rolling Resistance

S

• Self-Aligning Torque
• Semi-Pneumatic Tires
• Serial Number
• Service Description
• Shoulder
• Sidewall
• Sipe
• Slip Angle
• Snow Chains
• Solid Tires
• Speed Rating
• Stopping Distance

T

• Tire Code
• Tire Ratings
• Tire Rotation: Moving tires from one axle to the other to ensure even tire wear.
• Traction
• Tread
• Tread Void

V

• Valve Stem

W

• Wear Bar
• Wheel Alignment
• Whitewall Tires
• Workload