Tire tread question.

[FlyingEagle]

When looking at the generic picture of tires online, you are clearly drawn in by the more advanced looking designs on the wider tread faces.

Now, here's the question:

At what tire width and or inch diameter, do most tire manufacturers make the distinction (for whatever engineering reasons), to make the tire tread

look like the delicious one they take photos of, or shrink it and make it look like the ones we see on 13-15+" rim combinations.


I've never thought to ask this question, but I see a whole bunch of guys getting 17's, and figure I should what diameter or tread width usually warrants this change?

Do 17" tires with a very wide width, get this?

Or is this pushing into widths not possible for most import fender/suspension combinations?

I am a tire newbie in some respects.

 

[92_talon_awd]

I'm not sure what you are asking. It seems like you might be asking why some tires have really cool looking tread and why some seem to have just standard blocks? I've got 15's on my car and this is what my tread looks like

 

[tektic]

This is just a guess but i think it has to do with speed ratings. If a tire is designed to go 55 not much r & d is needed if it needs to go 168 mph well, they start to get fancy.

there aren't many, if any low profile 17" tires around that don't have higher speed ratings. They just weren't meant for a car with only 85 hp.

 

[Coltsfan]

I have the Altimax Arctic snows in a 195/60R15, and they look just like the picture.

I think tread design goes mostly by the model of tire, however when you get into more exotic tires, you won't find availability in some of the narrower 12" and 13" sizes. A 5" wide tread doesn't have the room for some of the composite tread designs with special inner and outer tread block shapes.

 

[turbowop]

It's all in the tire design and not really based on the width. Aggressive tires still have large tread blocks even in their narrower widths.

 

[FlyingEagle]

It think you guys hit the nail on the head.

I should have elborated more on what the tread issue was.

Seems some tires that different tread designs (mainly extra tread sections in the center or a redesign entire across the face/contact area) as they get larger.

Tire sellers always say the tire may look different from the one pictured. Serves two purposes - tire tread change and pic not updated - tire treads look fancier in the wider and larger diameter sizings.

Extra longitudinal tread block and re-design seems to happen as you jump past 15-16"+ and get into really wide tread faces.

Maybe this is becomeing a thing of the past, maybe not.

Or are there too many pictures of tires on the interwebs, and not enough sitting in front you us, when we think up these things? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


I tried looking up pictures of the newer Dunlop Direzza's and DZII, they seem uniformly identical, in terms of propertion and tread design as the tire gets larger/wider.

I know I'm not imagining this phenomenon.

Maybe it means nothing.

Such can be a posting in the newbie section.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hsugh.gif