When tire shopping for the first time, you'll notice a stark price difference between two seemingly identical tire models. 

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Today we seek to clarify a key aspect of the tire purchasing process. In this article, we will showcase the difference between a Wired tire and Foldable tire, explaining the reasons for the cost difference as well as the potential performance gains.

It’s All in the Bead

The primary difference between a Foldable tire and a Wired tire comes in the construction of the tire’s bead. The Tire Bead is a technical term for the inner edge that sits against the Wheel / Rim upon installation. 

In the image above, the yellow strands exiting the tire’s bead represent the Kevlar material. For now, you can ignore the TPI metric. That is a topic for another time and does not pertain to the Foldable vs. Wired tire conversation. 

Folding tires feature a bead produced from Kevlar. The Kevlar material is extremely lightweight and flexible. You can easily identify a foldable tire through its packaging as they can be neatly folded up (hence the name). The Kevlar material produces a more pliable tire allowing it to conform into shapes like the image below.

‘Steel is Real’

Wired tires features a steel wire bead. These tires offer more rigidity and are incapable of folding. Unlike Kevlar, Steel is a heavier and stiffer material causing Wire tires to weigh a bit more than folding tires. The difference in weight is considered the primary drawback of Wired tires.

Performance 

Folding tires are considered to be the superior racing option because of their ‘premium’ Kevlar construction. The Kevlar bead produces a lighter tire, which assist in reducing Rotational weight. This is attractive to racers because lighter tires accelerate quicker. Similar to most things on a race bike, Lighter = Faster!  

On the other hand, Wired tires provide more rigidity thanks to the stiffer steel bead. However, it’s hard for a wired tire to compete with a folding tire in terms of performance. As you’ll soon learn, Wired tires have their advantages outside of pure performance though.  

Pricing 

Wired tires are considerably cheaper than Foldable tires. The simplicity of the steel tire bead cuts down on manufacturing cost producing a cheaper tire. As a result, you get a tire that is nearly identical to it’s more expensive Foldable sibling but at a cheaper price.  

For some racers, the sheer difference in price may be the sole reason they choose Wired over Foldable. 

The Low Down

Keep in mind that the performance benefits between the two tire beads is nearly negligible on track. there is a difference, but it’s pretty damn hard to notice a few 100 grams during the heat of battle. If you’re wondering on which to buy, that answer depends on your budget and the goal of your build. 

Budget conscious riders will be more incline to pick up Wired tires. With the continually increasing cost of tires these days, it may be best to purchase quantity over quality. With the performance benefits being so marginal on track, some might seek value over performance. 

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On the other hand…

If your goal is to build the lightest race bike out there, then foldable is the way. Toe-to-toe, foldable tires are the superior choice, hence the price hike. If you’ve already invested into an expensive wheel set and use lightweight tubes like tubolitos; you should stick to folding because steel beads will counteract the performance benefits you're seeking with the expensive tubes/wheels. If the budget allows for it, then foldable is usually the way to go.

Ultimately you will have to decide for yourself. You can save a few bucks by purchasing a slightly heavier tire, or you can spend a little bit more and get the lightest tire possible! Regardless of which you choose, we have a full collection of the industry’s best tire models and manufactures. Click here to browse all the tires we have in stock or get in touch with us for any questions concerning BMX Racing.

About Us

Full Tilt Bike Co. is a specialty race shop based out of Minnesota. We’re rider owned and operated, sourcing many of the latest bmx racing products. You can catch us at the USA BMX nationals supplying racers nationwide.

3 Factors that Have Made Tire Bead Wires Indispensable to the Automotive Industry

Ever since the development of tires in the late s, the designing an efficient binding mechanism for the tires was being contemplated. With the advent of tire bead wires, this question has been effectively addressed, not only in the case of small tires, but also in the case of tires which have to carry huge loads. There are some specific factors which have made tire bead wires a sort of an indispensable component for the automotive manufacturing industry in the past few years.

In , John Dunlop designed and developed the first pneumatic tire for his son’s tricycle and patented the idea of pneumatic tires in the same year itself. However, Dunlop never imagined that pneumatic tire industry would expand to the scale that it is today. As years passed and the transportation industry grew, the need for developing pneumatic tires which could handle enormous loads was felt. Leading tire manufacturing companies, however, were skeptical as to the extent to which rubber tires alone could handle such a huge pressure. It was during this time that the idea of tire bead wires was conceived.

Tire bead wires have been an essential component for pneumatic tires ever since mass production of tires began in late s. Pneumatic tires, by their very nature, need strong reinforcement so that they stay attached to the metal rim of the wheel and offer smooth locomotion. Tire bead wires perform this exact function of reinforcing the pneumatic tire on to the rim of wheel so that the wheel can withstand the vehicle load and ensure efficient mobility without the tire falling apart. Modern day tire bead wires are made from high-carbon, resilient steel which can hold together huge tires including that of trucks, tractors, buses, etc.

Factors Responsible for the Growing Importance of Tire Bead Wires

Over the years, due to the growing utility of tire bead wires in pneumatic tires, their demand has increased in a direct proportion to the growth of automotive industry. This direct correlation between the automobile industry and tire cords, according to a report published by Research Dive, is the biggest factor responsible for the surge in the global tire bead wire market. Moreover, the report also adds that since the automobile industry is booming in countries like China, India, Japan, and South Korea, the tire bead wire market is expected to witness more growth in the Asia-Pacific region as compared to North America, Latin America, or even Europe.

Secondly, in the post-pandemic world, governments across the globe have been pumping money in their respective economies to revive the demand from the consumer side and bring the economy back on track. This, as per many leading economists, is extremely necessary as the private final consumption expenditure has plummeted during the pandemic on account of the lockdowns, and industries on their own cannot fuel the economy once again without government support. This increased government spending, especially on public infrastructure such as roads and highways is predicted to help logistics and transportation sector immensely which in turn is anticipated to push the automotive and tire cords industry as well.

Thirdly, as with many other sectors, the tire bead wire market is experiencing a new wave of innovative spirit which is helping the market to regain its lost ground during the pandemic. Leading players of tire cord industries such as Bekaert Lipetsk have invested heavily in design and development of steel cords that are more tensile, light weight, and more efficient. Now this design and development has far-reaching effects on the environment in general. The steel cord for tire reinforcement designed by Bekaert, due to its light weight and high load bearing capacity, reduces the fuel consumption of the vehicle which ultimately reduces the carbon emissions. Moreover, this tire bead wire has additional adhesive properties which reduces the use of cobalt in rubber tire production for effective grip. This further increases the eco-friendliness nature of this advanced tire cord.

In Summary

Though, the Covid-19 pandemic had disastrous effect on the tire bead wire market, the above-mentioned factors are sure, as per market analysts, to play a huge role in increasing the importance of tire cords in automotive industry. Moreover, the increasing popularity of electric vehicles is expected to boost the utility and demand of tire cord in e-mobility sector. Thus, due to these factors, coupled with the environment-friendly innovations done by the market players, tire bead wires have become indispensable to the automotive industry.