The Effect of Belt Materials on Performance of Radial Passenger Tires

The effect on radial passenger tire performance of the four most common belt materials-fiberglass, Kevlar, rayon, and steel-is discussed in light of their contributions to tread band stiffness. The magnitude of the material effects on performance is compared to the magnitude of belt geometric design effects on performance. It is demonstrated that the belt material differences do have a significant effect on performance related directly to how the material differences affect tread band stiffness. It is also shown that other design effects can overwhelm differences due to material differences alone.