Tire

A tire is a ring of material that covers the rim of a wheel. Most road vehicles and many other vehicles use rubber tires. Tires help vehicles to move smoothly. Some metro trains and trams also use rubber tires on their steel wheels to provide better traction than the steel tires of other trains.

Tires need to be changed after their treads wear away. Driving with worn tires is very dangerous. It can cause the tire to explode and the driver to lose control.

Tires were made of leather for thousands of years, and of iron or steel for hundreds. Pneumatic tires were invented in the 1840s and again in the 1880s. They became commonplace early in the 20th century.