The tread pattern is the part of the tire that immediately attracts attention. Regardless of where the tire is located – on the store shelf or on the car, it is the tread that will attract the main attention. It is not surprising that any story about the tire begins with this element.

So, the tread is the part of the tire that makes direct contact with the road surface. The tread provides traction with the road surface in various conditions, withstands high loads, has wear resistance, counteracting abrasion. It also protects the internal structure of the tire from damage.

When choosing windshield wipers, the buyer pays attention to the length, bending force, width of the wiper. The situation is the same when choosing tires. When choosing what to put on a car, we look not only at the size of the tire, but also at the pattern and select the one we need. The drawings differ depending on where and how the vehicle will be used. To cast aside all doubts and choose the right tires – see review tires, where experienced specialists will inform you in detail about everything.

There are the following protector types:

• symmetrical directional (usually it is called simply – “directional”)
• symmetrical non-directional (or simply “symmetrical”)
• asymmetric non-directional (“asymmetric”)
• asymmetric directional

Symmetric directional tread pattern (directional)

One of the most common tread patterns for summer tires in the past, but still the most sought after type for winter tires. It is characterized by a V-shaped (“herringbone”) structure of the tread pattern. The design features of the pattern make it possible to form not only a simple and effective system of drainage channels, but also numerous edges for adhesion.

Tires with a directional tread pattern must be installed on the rim in accordance with the arrow marked on the sidewall of the tire and setting the correct rotation of the tire.

Symmetric non-directional tread pattern (symmetrical)

A tread pattern that is mainly used in commercial vehicle tires, all-terrain tires and active off-road tires. One of the clear advantages of tires with a simple symmetrical tread pattern is that when mounting it on a rim, there is no need to take into account the rotation of the tire (like directional) and where the tire is on the outside (like an asymmetric pattern). Due to the structural features of the symmetrical tread pattern, these tires work equally well both forward and in reverse, which is especially important for off-road tires.

Asymmetric non-directional tread pattern (asymmetrical)

The most popular tread pattern for summer tires at present. In addition, some manufacturers rely on it when developing winter tires. The peculiarity of this tread pattern is that one side of the tire tread is not similar to the other side. This can be expressed both explicitly (for example, massive straight blocks of the tread on one side and arcuate blocks on the other), or not so explicitly (when the main difference lies in the two types of rubber compound used for the left and right sides of the treadmill). When mounting asymmetric tires on rims, the front side of the tire must be aligned with the front side of the rim. To do this, the inscriptions “OUTSIDE” (outer side, English) and “INSIDE” (inner side, English) are applied to the sidewall of asymmetric tires. Only when these tires are properly mounted on the rim can optimal tire performance be guaranteed. Otherwise, improper wear, noise, vibration may occur during operation.

Attention! It is especially worth emphasizing that pronounced asymmetric tires, after being mounted on disks and installed on a car, will have multidirectional drainage channels of the inner part of the tread. Which, as a rule, introduces the driver into some confusion, and there is even an opinion that in this case, when the car hits a watered surface, one of the tires will drain water, while the other will rake under itself. This opinion is wrong! The tread of asymmetric tires is built in such a way that, regardless of the installation location, the maximum efficiency of the passage of flooded surfaces is ensured.

Asymmetric directional tread pattern

As the name suggests, this type of tread pattern combines directionality, which requires the direction of rotation to be taken into account, and asymmetry, which requires alignment of the front sides of the tire and rim. Such a mixture has led to the fact that tires with an asymmetric directional tread pattern are divided into right and left. The complexity and high cost of producing such tires, as well as the lack of clear benefits for the average user in standard use, have made such tread patterns applicable exclusively in sports. Therefore, an asymmetric directional tread pattern is the rarest, and it is almost impossible to find such tires on public roads.