Tire

vehicles · rubber · engineering

Grippy rubber ring. A tire is a donut-shaped piece of rubber that hugs your wheel and gives your car or bike something to grip the road with. It's like the shoe of the wheel.

Full of air. Most tires are filled with air, which makes them bouncy and soft. This air cushion absorbs the shock when you hit bumps, potholes, or rough spots so you don't feel every jolt.

Transfer weight down. A tire's job is to take the heavy weight of your vehicle pressing down from above and spread it out across the ground below. This spreads the pressure so the road doesn't get crushed or damaged.

Contact patch. The part of the tire that actually touches the ground is called the contact patch. It's designed to match how heavy your vehicle is so it pushes down with exactly the right amount of pressure.