Tires

Different types of tires

Tires are just as important to a bike as all the other parts of a bike. While developing a motorcycle, the manufacturer works with a couple of tire manufacturers to get the right tire for the bike and one that impresses the bike maker. It's not an easy task as a slight difference in the dimensions of the tire or compound can result in changes in performance. The amount of grip, durability, and reliability are taken into account before bringing a bike to the market. However, tires made for a dirt bike can't be fit into a regular road-bike.

When you're choosing a specific tire to purchase, the challenge often lies in understanding the specific different types of tires that are available. Even if it's only a small part of a bike, a tire also quite expensive. Plus, the wrong type of tire will also affect the overall performance of the bike. The goal is always to get the right tire for the bike that you have.

If you're interested to learn more about the different tire types, you're in the right place. Here are some of the different types of bike tires, explained below:

Sports Tires: Sports tires are also referred to as track and competition tires. These are made for high-performance bikes and can occasionally be used on the race track. These tires operate with maximum efficiency at a certain operating temperature that is quite high. Hence, usage on the streets has to be dealt with caution due to the temperature requirement and the tires have less tread to give more grip. In fact, the use of these sports cars on regular daily driving is quite rare.

Sport-Road/Sport-Touring Tires: This tire range suits all the user requirements except for off-road tracks and is generally more durable. The operating temperature is lower than the Sport tires and so, offers more grip.

Road/Touring Tires: The road or touring tires are also called as grand touring tires. Because these are commonly seen on the regular commuter/street bikes, these are designed to offer excellent grip at a relatively low operating temperature. Also, these touring tires are characterized by their ability to have all-season traction, with more responsive handling. So, for these tires, you can rely both on the level of comfort that it brings, plus its excellent performance factor as well.

The use of treads on the tires enables the tire to travel over different surfaces and also wet surfaces. Generally, these tires are long-lasting and economical.

Mixed/Trail Tires: Mixed or trail tires are manufactured with a view to operate both on and off the road. The noticeable element or the one that catches the eye of the tire is the peculiar treads. These treads are essential as they provide adequate traction while on an off-road track. Made of hard rubber, they offer exceptional grip but while on the road, the contact surface decreases compared to the normal road tires. Therefore, opting for these tires would not be a wise choice for those who never kicks the dirt.

All-Terrain Tires: All Terrain tires are characterized by a more aggressive tread pattern. This comparison is from that of trailer tires. These all terrain-tires are commonly found on dirt bikes, and they come alive only on roads that are inaccessible for a normal bike. This excellent performance of all-terrain tires in more difficult terrain comes from the fact that it has more tread blocks, and more voids, which also provide more traction in the surface, no matter the type of terrain it has to go through.

These tires are equipped with large studs to dig into the earth while tackling difficult dirt sections. In fact, it works best with light mud, sand, and gravel terrain. Road use is not recommended for these tires as they are obviously not meant for the road.

Track/Trail/Race Tires: Just like their name, these tires are meant for the race track. Extremely soft rubber, high operating temperatures are some of the properties of these tires. They are usually called Slick tires because they have no treads and that is to attain maximum contact with the surface for better grip while handling curves and corners at a high rate of speed. Tire Warmers are used before the race to get the tire to a good temperature. They look like a blanket specially made for the tires and are wrapped around them.

The racing teams also get to choose what compounds to use for the race, "hard", "soft", "intermediate", "wet". The compounds can be varied for different parts of the tire. For example, it could be hard for the center and medium on the corners. Wet tires come with treads to help the rider during wet conditions. The treads serve the purpose of throwing the water off the tire to get an adequate grip. These tires, however, are not road legal. Even if they were out on the road, they would not last long because of the rubber that's used.

How To Read A Tire Specification?

How does one understand the technicalities and specifications of a tire or bike? Let's take an example 180/55 ZR 17. The first number (180) always indicates the tire width. The next number, called the aspect ratio, tells us the height of the tire in terms of width but in percentage. So, in our example, the height of the tire is 55% of 180 (width). The letter Z denotes the speed rating of the tire.

Different tires are given different speed ratings and it depends on the sort of tire that has been created and the speed test it had undergone. Z here denotes speeds greater than 240km/h. R denotes the construction of the tire, R stands for Radial construction. The last number represents the diameter of the tire and this will be in Inches.

With this guide on tire specification, you can now better understand the parts and other technicalities when you're choosing the one that best suits your bike or your vehicle.

Final Word / Conclusion

With all this information that you've gathered, you're now more familiar with the different types of tires for you to choose from. To sum it all up, the tires are really generally characterized by the purpose that it serves. When you're looking for a specific type of tire, consider how you're going to use it.

Now, you don't have to feel so daunted by the many different types of tires that are available for you to choose from.

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