Tread of A Tire

The "tread" is the portion of the tire that comes in contact with the road. Treads are grooved traction surfaces around the circumference of the tire. The grooves and ribs formed during the manufacturing process are carefully engineered to provide good traction on wet and dry roads, control when cornering, minimum distortion at high speeds, reduced rolling resistance, and increased wear resistance. The sidewall and tread material is applied after the plies have been arranged and vulcanized in place. The tread and tire are designed to place the full width of the tread on the road when the tire is properly inflated. The variety of tread patterns is very broad. In fact, one publisher has produced a tread pattern identification guide that illustrates over 3000 patterns.