Home > Learning Center > Four Wheel Tires

Four Wheel Tires

The most important part of a four wheel drive vehicle, or any other vehicle for that matter, are four wheel tires. They are the final piece of a long chain that starts in the gas tank proceeds through the engine where it is converted to mechanical energy that is transferred to the wheels which are surrounded by the tires.

Four wheel tires provide friction, or traction, which allows the mechanical force to be turned into forward movement. If there is no traction, there will be no movement, the wheels will just spin in place as the engine revs. On roads, a tire can be smooth, the rubber provides good traction on pavement, but on softer materials such as gravel, snow and mud the tire loses grip.

Four wheel tires have a combination of many smooth surfaces for grip on roads and smooth rock combined with large lugs and grooves in the tire to provide traction on softer materials. The grooves allow softer materials to get out of the way so the tire can contact more friction causing materials, or move enough dirt and sand to provide forward momentum. There are various tire and lug configurations that are specialized for different conditions such as sand, snow, mud, and dirt.

 

4x4 | Truck | Learning Center | Site Map | Links | Contact | Home

Copyright © 2009