Tires, or tyres (in American and British English, respectively), are ring-shaped parts, either pneumatic or solid (including rubber, metals and plastic composites), that fit around wheels to protect them and enhance their function.

Pneumatic tires are used on many types of vehicles, such as bicycles, motorcycles, cars, trucks, earthmovers, and aircraft. Tires enable better vehicle performance by providing traction and load support. Tires form a flexible cushion between the vehicle and the road, which smooths out shock and makes for a more comfortable ride while keeping the wheel in more constant contact with the road.

History

The earliest tires were bands of iron (later steel), placed on wooden wheels, used on carts and wagons. The tire would be heated in a forge fire, placed over the wheel and quenched, causing the metal to contract and fit tightly on the wheel. A skilled worker, known as a wheelwright, carried out this work. The outer ring served to "attire" the wheel for use, providing a wear-resistant surface to the perimeter of the wheel. The word "tire" thus emerged as a variant spelling to refer to the metal bands used to dress wheels.Fact: date=March 2009

Tire is an older spelling than tyreFact: date=January 2009, but both were used in the 15th and 16th centuries for a metal tire; tire became the settled spelling in the 17th century. In the UK, tyre was revived in the 19th century for pneumatic tyres, possibly because it was used in some patent documents, though many continued to use tire for the iron variety. The Times newspaper was still using tire as late as 1905.

The first practical pneumatic tire was made by the Scot, John Boyd Dunlop, in 1887 for his son's bicycle, in an effort to prevent the headaches his son had while riding on rough roads (Dunlop's patent was later declared invalid because of prior art by fellow Scot Robert William Thomson).

Pneumatic tires are made of a flexible elastomer material, such as rubber, with reinforcing materials such as fabric and wire. Tire companies were first started in the early 20th century, and grew in tandem with the auto industry. Today, over 1 billion tires are produced annually, in over 400 tire factories, with the three top tire makers commanding a 60% global market share.Fact: date=April 2008

Chronology

• 1843 – Charles Goodyear announces vulcanization
• 1846 – Robert William Thomson invented and patented the pneumatic tire
• 1888 – First commercial pneumatic bicycle tire produced by Dunlop
• 1889 – John Boyd Dunlop patented the pneumatic tire in the UK
• 1890 – Dunlop, and William Harvey Du Cros began production of pneumatic tires in Ireland
• 1890 – Bartlett Clincher rim introduced
• 1891 – Dunlop's patent invalidated in favor of Thomson's patent
• 1892 – Beaded edge tires introduced in the U.S.
• 1894 – E.J. Pennington invents the first balloon tire
• 1895 – Michelin introduced pneumatic automobile tires
• 1898 – Schrader valve stem patented
• 1900 – Cord Tires introduced by Palmer (England) and BFGoodrich (U.S.)
• 1903 – Goodyear Tire Company patented the first tubeless tire, however it was not introduced until 1954
• 1904 – Goodyear and Firestone started producing cord reinforced tires
• 1904 – Mountable rims were introduced that allowed drivers to fix their own flats
• 1906 – First pneumatic aircraft tire
• 1908 – Frank Seiberling invented grooved tires with improved road traction
• 1910 – BFGoodrich Company invented longer life tires by adding carbon black to the rubber
• 1919 – Goodyear and Dunlop announced pneumatic truck tires
• 1938 – Goodyear introduced the rayon cord tire
• 1940 – BFGoodrich introduced the first commercial synthetic rubber tire
• 1946 – Michelin introduced the radial tire
• 1947 – Goodyear introduced first nylon tires
• 1947 – BFGoodrich introduced the tubeless tire
• 1963 – Use of polyester cord introduced by Goodyear
• 1965 – Armstrong Rubber introduced the bias belted fiberglass tire
• 1965 – BFGoodrich offered the first radial available in North America
• 1967 – Poly/glass tires introduced by Firestone and Goodyear
• 1968 – United States Department of Transportation (DOT) numbers required on new tires in USA
• 1974 – Pirelli introduced the wide radial tire