Radial

S E C T I O N O N E Truck Tire
Nomenclature

Radial
Truck Tire
Terms

5
Radial
Truck Tire
Nomenclature
H. Belts
G. Radial Ply
F. Sidewall
A. Liner
E. Apexes
D. GG Ring
C. Chafer
B. Bead Core
Tire Components
A. Liner — A layer or layers of
rubber in tubeless tires that resists
air diffusion. The liner in the tubeless
tire replaces the innertube of the
tube-type tire.
B. Bead Core — Made of a continuous
high-tensile wire wound to form a
high-strength unit. The bead core is the
major structural element in the plane of
tire rotation and maintains the required
tire diameter on the rim.
C. Chafer — A layer of hard rubber that
resists rim chafing.
D. GG Ring — Used as reference for
proper seating of bead area on rim.
E. Apexes — Rubber pieces with
selected characteristics used to fill in
the bead and lower sidewall area and
provide smooth transition from the
stiff bead area to the flexible sidewall.
S E C T I O N
I
Tread
1.
Crown
Unisteel
Radial
F. Sidewall — The sidewall rubber must
withstand flexing and weathering and
provide protection for the ply.
G. Radial Ply — The radial ply, together
with the belt plies, withstands the loads
of the tire under operating pressure.
The plies must transmit all load, driving,
braking and steering forces between the
wheel and the tire tread.
H. Belts — Steel cord belt plies provide
strength, stabilize the tread, and protect
the air chamber from punctures.
I. Tread — This rubber provides the
interface between the tire and the road.
Its primary purpose is to provide traction
and wear.
6
O N E
2.
Shoulder
3. Tread Skirt
4.
Sidewall
5. Stabilizer Ply
6. Bead Heel
7. Bead Toe
Tire Areas
1. Crown — Area of the tire that
contacts the road surface.
2. Shoulder — Transition area between
the crown and tread skirt.
3. Tread Skirt — Intersection of tread
and sidewall.
4. Sidewall — Area from top of bead to
the bottom of the tread skirt.
5. Stabilizer Ply — A ply laid over the
radial ply turnup outside of the bead and
under the rubber chafer that reinforces
and stabilizes the bead-to-sidewall
transition zone.
6. Bead Heel — Area of bead that
contacts the rim flange, the “sealing
point” of the tire/rim.
7. Bead Toe — The inner end of the
bead area.
 Radial
S E C T I O N O N E Truck Tire
Nomenclature

• Aspect Ratio (AR) — The section

Section
height divided by the section width,
Width (SW) expressed as a percentage (SH/SW x
100 percent).
• Loaded Section (LS) — The width
of the cross section at the Tire and
Outside Rim Association’s dual tire load and
Section
Diameter inflation pressure.
Height (SH)
(OD)
• Static Loaded Radius (SLR) —
The distance from the road surface
to the horizontal centerline of the
wheel, under dual load.
Rim • Minimum Dual Spacing — The
Flange Width minimum dimension recommended
Height from rim centerline to rim centerline
for optimum performance of a dual
wheel installation.

Static Loaded
Radius (SLR)
Loaded Section
(LS)
Definition
• Footprint — The surface of the tire in
contact with the road surface at any
given load and inflation pressure.
• Tread Width — Distance across
tread surface.
• Non-Skid — Tread depth from tread
surface to bottom of major grooves.
• Undertread — Gauge of rubber
between top of belt package and
bottom of grooves.
• Turn Radius — Curvature of the
tread face from shoulder to shoulder.
Minimum
Dual
Spacing
The Tire & Rim
Association
Yearbook
The Tire & Rim Association
Yearbook provides essential
information for the
interchangeability of tire,
wheel and rim products for
cars, trucks, buses, cycles,
off-the-road, agricultural
and industrial vehicles.
To obtain a copy, write or call:
The Tire & Rim Association, Inc.
175 Montrose West Ave.
Suite 150
• Net/Gross Ratio — Tread pattern Copley, OH 44321
contact area to total tread area. 330-666-8121
www.us-tra.org
• Outside Diameter (OD) —
The unloaded diameter of the tire/
rim combination.
• Section Width (SW) — The maximum
width of the tire section, excluding any
lettering or decoration.
• Section Height (SH) — The distance
from the rim to the maximum height of
the tire at the centerline.