Do Tires Have Wire In Them? Yes, In These Two Places

Either you are asking whether tires have wire in them because you are curious, or you are seeing something resembling wire poking through your tires.

In this article, we’ll explain what you’re seeing, the dangers involved and whether what you are seeing is actually metal wire or something else.

Briefly, before we get into detail, car tires have wire in two locations.

One, below the tread and encased in the tire carcass. And the second inside the bead.

The bead is the area of the tire that pushes out against the rim all the wheel lip and makes a tight seal to stop air from escaping.

Let’s look at both types of wire and the locations

Steel Wire Belts

Steel wires are woven together to create belts that are added to the tire structure to strengthen it.

Usually, these wires are incorporated in layers of nylon cord.

Together they add rigidity to the whole structure as they are bonded to the tread and tire carcass.

These steel belts are cut to different angles and sizes depending on the tire and the manufacturer.

Cut through of a Radial Tire Showing Belts and Ply

Radial ply tires have steel belts in them. They are the most common type of tire and account for around 97% of vehicle tires on the road today.

These steel belts are fitted at a 90-degree angle to the tread, so from one edge of the sidewall to the other.

A simple check to see if you have a radial tire is to look for the letter R on the sidewall of your tire.

It is rare to see these steel belts, which are twisted chords of metal poking through the tread.

Usually, they are only seen on extremely worn tires or tires that have had a catastrophic failure.

It is unusual for tires to fail to the extent that the steel wire pokes through the tread, but it can sometimes happen due to poor manufacturing processes.

As you can imagine, getting rubber to glue to steel cords is quite a detailed process.

This type of failure is called tire belt separation, where the steel belt comes away from the cord and the rubber tread that has been keeping it in place.

The remaining 3% of tires on US roads are bias-ply tire types. You will usually find these only on off-road vehicles or even drag cars.

These vehicles require the sidewalls to be more flexible and to offer better traction at lower speeds, and in straight lines, they do not have metal wires in them.

Metal wire will very rarely poke through the sidewall of a tire– unless it has been displaced – because there is no wire located there; the side wall is wire free.

Tire Beads

The only other place on your tire you should notice any metal poking through is on the tire bead.

You won’t be able to see the tire bead when it’s fitted as it is underneath the lip of the wheel or the rim. This area creates a tight seal between the tire and the rim.

Tire bead steel wire is usually formed from twisting bronze plate cords and is used to increase the strength of the rubber tire bead.

Tire bead broke — Total tire failure. Note the bronze bead wire.

Any metal showing between the rim and the top of the tire indicates that the tire bead is defective.

Is It Safe To Drive With A Tire That Has Wire Showing?

It is unsafe to drive a car with steel wire poking through the thread. Either the tire is extremely worn, and the rubber has been eroded away to the extent where the wire layer is showing, or there has been an error in the manufacturing process at the factory.

Either way, continuing to drive with a compromised tire can lead to total tire failure. This may happen at high speeds and may make the driver lose control.

A car with wire sticking through the thread should not be driven in any circumstances, and a replacement tire needs to be fitted.

If you see bronze-colored wire sticking out from where your tire bead is connected to the lip of the room, it isn’t as much of a concern as metal poking through the tread.

It may result in a slow puncture as air leaks through the gap between the damaged bead and the lip of the rim. It is less to cause a catastrophic failure, though. A leaking tire bead is normally accompanied by damage to the rim in the same location.