Types of Tyres

Choosing the right type of tyre for your vehicle is crucial to get the intended performance and make your journey more comfortable and groovy. A poor tyre choice can mean less traction when it is needed, which can be detrimental in some driving conditions.

Categorization of Tyres:

By Vehicle Type

• >>Passenger car Tyres

• >>Light Truck Tyres

• >>Truck and Bus Tyres

• >>Competition Car Tyres

• >>Agricultural Tyres

• >>Off-The-Road Tyres

• >>Industrial Tyres

• >>Motorcycle Tyres

• >>Aircraft Tyres

By Structure

• Bias Tyre -Bias tires are used mainly in off-the-road, agricultural, and industrial vehicles. Bias-ply tyres are made of rubber coated layers of crisscrossed plies of fabric (Nylon) kept at an angle of 30 degrees approx to form a single working unit. These tyres are very strong and rigid. This rigid construction does not allow conforming to the road surface as efficiently as a radial tyre. It may create a wandering sensation as the tyres tend to follow the grooves and breaks in the path. Although it is not hazardous, yet it definitely requires the driver to be more attentive, especially on the highways.

• Radial Tyre -Radial tires are mostly used in passenger cars, light trucks, trucks, and buses. Radial Tyres have cords that run perpendicular to its circumference. It is a more practical option for most of the people as due to its modern construction it gives better ride quality, wet weather traction and tread life. Its flexible design allows skimming across the nuts and breaks in the surface. The cords are generally made up of polyester, steel and other textile material, inset with several layers of tyre rubber. This makes for a pleasant ride quality & improved fuel efficiency.

By Season

• Winter Tyres -Winter tyres are commonly used for passenger cars, light trucks, trucks, buses and are imperative in regions prone to heavy snowfall. The treads of winter tyres are divided into small blocks to optimize driving performance in snow with deeper tread depths and specialized tread designs that offer enhanced traction capability. The special rubber used in the manufacturing of winter tyres enables them to maintain a flexible grip without getting rigid even at temperatures as low as 7 degrees Celsius. They are more suitable and crucial for driving on snow as they offer maximum grip while accelerating, cornering and braking on snow.

Winter tyres can be further categorized as:

• Studded Tyres -Studded tyres are the winter tyres with small and tough metal pieces within the tread to be able to dig into the ice and provide good traction. Such tyres are widely used in isolated or rural regions where snow plough maintenance may not be regular. These tyres are a better choice for unsalted roads like back roads or unpaved dirt roads.

• Studless Tyres -Studless Tyres are the winter tyres created to give better traction and grip on snowy or ice capped roads without stud pins. They are solely based on solid engineering, recent advancements in rubber compounds and tread designs. Usually at a temperature below 7 degree Celsius, a general tyre will become rigid and possibly crack. This makes them unsuitable for snowy roads and equally risky for use in winter.

• Studless winter tyres on the other hand offer much flexibility in freezing weathers by maintaining required traction on snowy or wet roads. They have a much deeper tread depth than summer or all season tyres which doesn`t allow debris to clog into tyres. The tiny slits in their tread pattern called sipes help with acceleration, deceleration and stopping on compromising road surfaces.

• Summer Tyres -Summer tyres can be used in any season except winter. These are usually made of soft rubber compound. They offer high performance, maximum grip at high speeds in a dry weather, low noise, steering stability, better traction, increased responsiveness, cornering and braking capabilities. Their tread patterns have less grooving and as such more rubber comes in contact with the road surface allowing more stability.

Most of the sports cars are fitted with these tyres as it enhances better handling, high performance, and cornering capacity.

• All Season -An all-season tyre gives an all-round performance by combining the properties of both summer and winter tyres. It is appropriate for a standard driver as it offers a balance of capabilities, giving acceptable performance in wet as well as dry conditions including better traction in snow.

These tyres have moderate tread depths that are engineered to provide a longer tread life. They are manufactured into various types/models, sizes, load capacities, and speed ratings and can be used for a wide spectrum of vehicles from economy cars to sedans to mini-vans to pickup trucks. They offer quality ride, better handling, and other performance attributes suitable for most drivers.

• Run Flat Tyre

A Run flat tyre is designed to keep the vehicle in control even after deflation due to a puncture. It thus allows the vehicle to move at reduced speeds for a limited distance even at zero pressure. Its considerably strengthened sidewall carries the load of the vehicle and specially designed beads prevent the tyre from getting detached from the wheel.

At Armstrong, we value craftsmanship and precision. Our tires aren’t just black and round. We used our century’s worth of experiences combined with the latest technology in the industry to create the best tire we could today.