What does the term "tyres" mean to you? Perhaps it could just be a material that helps to move around things for you but that is not it. In the past tyres were known to be mere objects used to move a cart from one place to another. There was not many types of tyres to state like we do in the contemporary era. It was only after the decision to introduce a well engineered inflatable tyre solution that resulted in the beginning of this new revolutionary object.
Today we attempt to explain these different types of tyres to help you understand how they have evolved into something superior.
Mud Tyres:
These as the name suggests are the tyres used in a muddy terrain. These tyres are usually equipped with vehicles as an aftermarket product so as to drive through the difficult mud terrains. They usually have thick tread pattern designed to help your vehicle move through muddy surfaces. These thick tread provides traction on muddy surfaces. The large tread blocks which have broad grooves stops the mud from sticking on to the tyres.
Note: Mud tyres are not recommended for daily use on highways or tarmac roads since they produce lot of noise and vibration.
Also see: What Are All-Terrain Tyres? Here's Everything You Need To Know
The sand tyres are also known as paddle tyres which are usually equipped on off- road vehicles. The purpose of this tyre, as the name suggests is to drive on sand. These tyres are used in deserts where it helps the driver to easily maneuver the vehicle on heap of sand without getting stuck.
These tyres have sequentially arranged rubber paddles which are placed on smooth rubber base. The sand tyres have smaller tread blocks which are divided into grooves that are narrow also known as sipes. The tyres provide grip by having narrow sipes which will help to easily get through sandy surfaces like that seen in deserts. If you have looked closely in the Dakar rally, the tyres used by the 4x4 vehicles are usually sand tyres.
Off-road tyres:
These tyres are appropriate if you would not want to burn a hole in your pocket because off-road tyres could be used both on tarmac and off- the- road that is in mud or sand surfaces. These tyres are designed in such a way that they can be used in our everyday life in the city as well as for casual off- road trips in the weekends. While considering a normal tyre, the off- road tyres are little noisy and might cause vibrations but they can be used for proper off-roading as well as for your daily trips to the grocery store.
All terrain tyres:
The all-terrain tyres as the name suggests can be used in all types of terrain. These are found stock on SUV's and 4x4 vehicles. These tyres have similar design as that of the mud and sand tyres. They come with similar size and tread block design. Even though they provide good traction on tarmac, these tyres are not suitable for extreme conditions such as muddy and sandy surfaces. They have sipes which provides resistance to aquaplaning. These tyres are not good for high speed maneuvers and cannot be easy to control while cornering and braking on highways.
Cross-ply tyres:
Cross- ply tyres are also known as bias tyres. The problem with this type of tyre is that, they are stiff because of the reinforced plies which provides rigidity to the sidewalls. The plus side of this tyre is that the sidewalls which are stiff helps the tyre to be not affected by sharp objects. These type of tyres are seen on split rims which are unsafe to work on however, these type of tyres are usually not used on passenger cars instead they are used on heavy machinery and trucks nowadays.
