Tire treads come in direct contact with the road. And, these tire treads have different patterns to meet different driving conditions. Besides, these tire treads offer smooth traction and accelerate the car effortlessly.
Auto manufacturers use different car tire tread patterns for different vehicles and road conditions. Here are all the tire tread patterns explained in detail with their advantages:
DIFFERENT TYPES OF TIRE TREAD PATTERNS
Tire tread pattern designs consist of four important parts:
- Ribs: Raised section of the tires that provides traction and grip on the road.
- Sipes: Small thin slots that increase traction control.
- Grooves: Deep channels are lateral and horizontal. Tire grooves direct water away from the tire surface.
- Tread blocks: Raised rubber segments making contact with the road surface.
One can see all these parts in the different types of tire tread patterns explained below:
RIBS PATTERN
It consists of parallel and zig-zag patterns around the circumference of the tires. This tire tread pattern is most commonly used in passenger cars. They are also called symmetric tread patterns and come with the following benefits:
- Good fuel economy with low-rolling resistance
- Good directional stability
LUG PATTERN
This pattern has grooves perpendicular to the circumference of the tires. These tread patterns are commonly found in commercial vehicles’ tires. The tread pattern is also known as asymmetrical and comes with the following advantages:
- Excellent traction control
- Enhanced grip when braking or accelerating
RIBS-LUG PATTERN
Ribs-lug tread pattern is good for both paved and unpaved roads. You can find this tread pattern in buses and trucks. Ribs cover the center of the wheel whereas lugs are on both sides of the wheels. The following are the benefits of this tread pattern:
- Good directional control
- Improved grip and power while braking or accelerating the car
- More balanced performance due to mixed wheel tread pattern
BLOCK PATTERN
Block tire tread patterns have blocks running at the circumference separated by the grooves. They are commonly used in passenger cars. And, the block tread pattern is considerable for off-roading. Moreover, summer and winter tires use this pattern. The following are the advantages of the block tread pattern:
- Improved stability and steering on wet, snowy, or muddy roads
- Proper water dispersion
DIRECTIONAL PATTERN
The directional tread pattern is the most common one used in two-wheelers, passenger cars, and sports cars. This pattern has lateral grooves on both sides creating a direction where all grooves point toward the forward direction. Here are the advantages of directional tread pattern
- Good traction control and stability
- Dispersing water on wet roads
- Enhanced performance at higher speeds
All tire tread patterns are designed to provide a safe ride. There are different patterns for touring and performance tires. It depends upon the driver and vehicle owner to keep the car tires safe from wearing out and increasing their durability.
Besides, always check the tire treads and change the tires if the treads are worn out. Additionally, inspect that the tire pressure sensors are in working condition and if not, replace them with the new TPMS sensors to receive optimum performance.