Electric Scooter Tyre Types

This guide covers everything from the different types of e-scooter tyres, different treads on scooter tyres, and the maintenance of e-scooter tyres.

While they are often overlooked, electric scooter tyres are one of the most critical components of an e-scooter. They play an integral role in determining the overall ride experience, durability, and, most importantly, safety. An electric scooter cannot move from one point to another without tyres.

An important consideration when buying an electric scooter is the type of tyres. E-scooters come with two primary types of tyres: air-filled or solid tyres, as well as different tyre configurations. The two main types of tyres have merits and demerits, and it can be challenging to work out which tyres are best for you, depending on your specific needs. Selecting tyres can have an enormous influence on which electric scooter you’ll buy, as brands tend to provide particular kinds of tyres in their models. 

Read on to learn more about the different types of tyres and essentially everything you need to know about e-scooter tyres. 

Read on to learn more about the different types of tyres and essentially everything you need to know about e-scooter tyres. 

Types of E-scooter Tyres

There are two primary types of electric scooter tyres: pneumatic (air-filled) and solid (non-pneumatic/ airless) tyres. Pneumatic tyres can either be tubeless or have an inner tube. On the other hand, solid tyres are categorised into either rubber-filled tyres or honeycomb tyres with air pockets.

Each of these tyres has its strong points and downsides. Overall, pneumatic tyres are more efficient and offer better cushioning and traction than their solid counterparts. However, they are susceptible to punctures and require great attention and maintenance for optimum functioning. On the other hand, solid tyres require zero maintenance as they don’t get flats. However, this doesn’t mean that solid tyres are more durable than pneumatic ones- both tyres wear out over time based on the riding intensity, terrain, maintenance, and other factors.

Pneumatic (Air-Filled) Tyres

Pneumatic or air-filled tyres are common on cars, bikes, and bicycles. These tyres are constructed from supple rubber and are filled with air to give pressure to maintain their solid structure. A unique feature of pneumatic tyres is the valve stem that sticks out from the centre or the side of the tyre.

The valve stem functions as a gateway to fill or empty air from the tyre and check air pressure. Pneumatic tyres offer excellent ride quality as you’re essentially riding on a cushion of air that absorbs shocks making the ride less bumpy.

Pneumatic tyres are available in two forms: tubeless and inner tubes.

Tubeless Pneumatic Tyres 

As the name conveys, tubeless pneumatic tyres lack the inner tube, which holds air. These tyres consist of an air-tight solid outer covering that holds air around the rim. The valve stem is housed in the rim rather than the inner tube.

Pneumatic tubeless tyres are standard on cars and bikes. They tend to be pretty heavy, resistant to puncture (with the provision to use tyre sealant to fix punctures), plus offer high performance. With such properties, tubeless pneumatic tyres are relatively expensive and mostly found on high-performance, premium e-scooters such as the EMOVE Cruiser. And, although they are not that expensive, some people find pneumatic tubeless tyres far too pricey, especially when they could buy cheaper and equally functional alternatives like tubed pneumatics. Pneumatic tubeless tyres are incredibly comfortable to ride on, more puncture-resistant, and more resistant to wear and tear.

However, they have a trade-off of being quite heavy, compromising on portability. They are also pretty challenging to exchange when you get a flat. On some scooters, you’ll need expert skill or even a tyre removal machine to remove and replace the tyre in case of a flat tyre. However, fixing a puncture is relatively more straightforward than tubed tyres. A thing to note is that a puncture on a pneumatic tubeless tyre means that the electric scooter tyre releases air gradually, giving you time to find a repair shop. Alternatively, tubed pneumatics lose all their pressure instantly when a puncture occurs.

Another con is that although many people believe it’s an advantage, these tyres do actually weigh more than regular tyres meaning that if you’re buying a set for your scooter, I would 100% recommend getting ones with light rims as well to keep everything balanced as this will reduce weight; but on the downside, also reduce grip too. These tyres weigh more because they weigh down on the rim, ensuring that they stay in place significantly when accelerating quickly at high speeds.

Inner Tube Pneumatic Tyres

Inner tube pneumatic tyres are ubiquitous on e-scooters and bicycles. These inner tube tyres take after the conventional tyre design featuring a solid outer cover and an inner tube that holds air. The heavy-duty outer tyre is in contact with the road surface and has treads to gain traction. The inner tube houses air to offer the required pressure and features a valve stem to either pump in or empty air.

Inner tube pneumatic tyres are prone to punctures, and this is because there is a higher incidence of tube pinching (flat tyre caused by friction between the tube and rim, or tube and tyre wall). However, if the outer tyre or inner tube is punctured, the inner tube can easily be patched or replaced based on the severity of the puncture. Like their counterparts, the tubeless, inner tube tyres are incredibly comfortable to ride with, providing excellent shock absorption and traction.

Advantages of Pneumatic Tyres

• Excellent traction- Pneumatic tyres offer outstanding traction even in wet conditions, thanks to their unique construction. These tyres are constructed with supple rubber hence have a higher static coefficient of friction, meaning that they are less likely to skid as they ride on the road. They allow for better braking performance and offer excellent traction even in wet conditions.
• Outstanding Shock Cushioning- Pneumatic tyres offer better ride cushioning than solid tyres since they are filled with air. They offer a more comfortable, less bumpy ride afforded by the air pressure inside the tyres. These tyres can stand in for the lack of suspensions in some electric scooters with excellent shock absorption.
• Enhanced Performance- Considering that pneumatic tyres have a lower rolling coefficient of friction, they are more energy-efficient than solid tyres. As a result, they improve a scooter’s range and top speed performance. Electric scooters fitted with pneumatic tyres usually have higher top speed and better range than those equipped with solid tyres despite having similar specifications.
• The best feature of running tyres with tubes is to pump up your tyre pressure to any level you want. This means you can adjust the PSI to match rider weight, cushioning levels, and the riding environment (e.g., a lower PSI increases grip in wet conditions.)

Other benefits of pneumatic tyres include less resistance and ease of finding a replacement. 

Disadvantages of Pneumatic Tyres

While they offer excellent ride quality and traction, pneumatic tyres have several weaknesses.

• The primary downsides of pneumatic tyres are that they are susceptible to flats and require constant monitoring and maintenance of the specified pressure for optimal performance and durability.
• Pneumatic tyres also cost significantly more than their solid counterparts.
• They are more susceptible to temperature changes, leading to poor handling.
• Tubeless pneumatic tyres are also quite challenging to replace in the case of a flat tyre. To reduce the chances of a pneumatic tyre getting flat, it’s recommended to maintain the correct pressure and use a tyre sealant. A tyre sealant, also called slime, is placed into the inner tube or tyre via the valve to prevent flats. Also, consider pneumatic tyres with split rims to facilitate easier tyre changes.

Solid Tyres

Solid tyres consist of solid polyurethane foam filling or hard rubber to give them their structure rather than air pressure. Unlike pneumatic tyres, solid tyres are immune to flats and require minimal maintenance. These are the major selling points of solid tyres.

Being filled with foam material or hard rubber, solid tyres cannot be easily deformed or bent. They are also heavier than their pneumatic counterparts, resulting in a heavier scooter with reduced portability.

Besides being pretty bulky, solid rubber tyres are also tricky to change. E-scooter models with solid tyres require the whole wheel and motor to be exchanged if the tyre is worn out or damaged. This can be pretty expensive, especially if you had not budgeted for it.

Solid tyres offer reduced shock absorption and traction resulting in less comfortable and bumpy rides. While they are immune to puncture, they are not necessarily more durable than their pneumatic counterparts. Solid tyres constructed with solid polyurethane foam filling tend to wear out quickly owing to higher rolling friction.

There are two primary forms of solid tyres: honeycomb and foam-filled solid tyres.

Honeycomb Tyres (Air Pocket Tyres)

A honeycomb solid rubber tyre is a hybrid between air-filled tyres and solid tyres featuring “honeycomb” or “air pocket tyres” construction for increased cushioning. Some honeycomb tyres feature sophisticated lattices for enhanced shock absorption, resulting in better ride quality.

In honeycomb tyres, air pressure has been replaced with solid rubber filling for structural integrity, while the air pockets make the tyres lucid and keep the weight at a minimum. The air pockets inside the tyres enhance shock absorption for comfortable, traction-filled rides. The weight is low thanks to reduced rubber fillings; however, they are not as light as pneumatic tyres.

Essentially, honeycomb tyres combine the advantages and downsides of both pneumatic and solid tyres, giving you a taste of both worlds. While they are immune to flats and offer good cushioning, they are relatively bulkier than pneumatic tyres and are moderately expensive compared to both solid and pneumatic tyres.

Honeycomb tyres are still new in the scooter world thus are the least common types of tyres. They are still evolving, and you should expect better quality and more innovation in the years to come.

Foam Filled (Solid Tyres) Tyres

Foam-filled tyres are packed with foam, rubber, or other solid, flexible polymer filling, making them heavy and stiff. While these durable materials, filled tyres tend to wear and tear relatively faster than pneumatic tyres. Fully solid tyres are also difficult to replace for the same reasons as the honeycomb version.

Advantages of Solid Tyres

• Immune to flats
• Robust and requires minimal maintenance
• Honeycomb tyres offer better cushioning and ride quality than foam-filled solid counterparts.
• Solid tyres are less expensive than pneumatic tyres in terms of overall cost and maintenance expenses.

Downsides of Solid Tyres

• Less comfortable rides due to less cushioning
• They wear off relatively fast
• Poor traction, especially on wet or icy terrain
• Heavier than pneumatic tyres since it’s filled with foam rubber
• Challenging to replace

Tyre Treads Patterns

Tyres feature treads on their surface, which come in different designs with specific purposes. Tyres treads are a series of grooves cut into the tyre to provide traction on wet roads and dry, sunny days. Tread patterns may be shallow or deep, wide or narrow, and with or without continuous features of transverse grooves.

The way a tyre is designed can affect its ability to provide traction on wet and dry surfaces. Tread patterns have evolved because tyres have started featuring advanced designs, especially if they need to be more efficient or possess better capabilities than ordinary tyres. Many factors determine how a tyre should be designed, including speed limits, road conditions, and other things.

Tyre treads can be either:

• Symmetrical
• Directional
• Asymmetrical
• Directional/ Asymmetrical

Without the grooves in a tyre tread, the tyre would have poor traction in varying road conditions and become unstable.

The other purpose of tyre tread patterns also referred to as grooves include: 

• To provide traction in different terrains and weather conditions
• To facilitate force and directional control
• To disperse heat generated by friction so as not to melt or scorch the material of the tyre itself during braking operations at high speeds.
• To evacuate water, slush and dirt
• To facilitate the tyre’s flexing to conform to the road surface and provide maximum traction in the constantly changing conditions.
• To provide a means by which scooter owners can determine the right time to replace their tyres.
• Tread patterns add an artistic element to the tyres, making them aesthetically appealing to riders based on their style and taste.

The traction on the tyre depends on the ratio of rubber to air space. As such, tyres with more treads and deeper patterns offer higher traction, are more resistant to flats, and provide better control for increased riding safety. However, more treads make tyres thicker, heavier, and clunkier to ride on. The end result is that the ride is more uncomfortable to ride, plus the miles per charge (range) is reduced.  

Tyre Types Based on Different Terrain

We look at three different types of tyres adapted for diverse terrain, i.e., knobby off-road tyres, city/sport tyres, and dual-purpose tyres.

Knobby Off-Road Tyres

As the name implies, knobby off-road tyres have knobs (large protrusions around the tyre’s perimeter) with a smaller surface area than city/sport tyres. The knobs can be square, round, triangular, or any geometric shape and arranged in unique patterns or simple rows with either blunt or sharp tips. The knobs are spaced far apart for maximum traction on off-road terrains consisting of sand, dirt, loose terrain, and dirt.

Knobby tyres are specially designed for off-roading on forest trails or mountainous terrains. The significant gaps between knobs allow the tyre to grasp larger rocks and stones to provide maximum traction. Riding a scooter fitted with knobby off-road tyres on tarmac terrain feels wonky owing to reduced contact patch on the tarmac, limiting traction.

Pros

• Designed with knobs and textured treads to offer the ultimate traction on rough terrain consisting of loose material
• Safer to use to hazardous terrain
• The risk of flat tyres is low since the knobs protect the tube from puncture due to protrusions of sharp objects.

Cons

• Vibrate on tarmacked or concrete terrains
• Slower speeds

City/ Sport tyres

City or sport tyres are designed to safely get you from one point to another in a city. Unlike knobby tyres, city tyres have minimal tread and lack knobs. The tyres surface is smooth, but you can notice some patterns or logos on the rubber. The patterns may appear as treads, but they are only for aesthetic purposes.

The smooth surface of sport tyres makes them grip tarmacked or paved terrains for maximum traction. These tyres benefit from better traction and less rolling resistance, thus are preferred for speed-focused e-scooters. With improved traction and less rolling resistance, you can attain faster speeds while exerting less energy for maximum performance and increased range.

City/Sport tyres are 10 to 15% more efficient than knobby tyres in terms of performance on typical urban terrains. They are the preferred choice for riding on tarmacked, paved, or concrete terrains.

Pros

• Better traction on typical urban terrains
• Faster speeds thanks to less rolling resistance
• Enhanced efficiency and economical, i.e., high-range
• Good handling and stability

Cons

• Increased chances of puncture
• Higher chances of aquaplaning in wet conditions
• Wear out quickly
• Lack any off-road capability

Dual-Purpose Tyres

Dual-Purpose tyres are a hybrid between sport tyres and off-road tyres. These tyres feature knobs with a relatively larger surface area. The knobs are formed as a result of intersecting grooves. Dual-Purpose tyres have both on-road and off-road capabilities. Since the grooves are more expansive, the knobs latch onto uneven surfaces, providing the tyres with some off-road capabilities.

With standard tyres, you can ride your electric scooter on urban terrains most of the time and occasionally take it off-road. Alternatively, some dual-purpose tyres have been customised to offer better off-road performance, with some on-road capabilities. Essentially, dual-purpose tyres allow you to ride on any terrain, whether off-road terrains with loose surfaces, tarmacked roads, paved surfaces, or concrete sidewalks.

Pros

• Decent off-road and on-road performance
• Good traction for riding on smooth surfaces and in loose material
• Ideal for use both in wet and dry conditions

Cons

• Knobby tyres perform better than standard tyres on off-road terrains
• Sport tyres are better for urban environments

BIO: 

Nely is an adrenaline junkie and one of her life goals is to sky dive, but until that day she gets her kicks from testing fast electric scooters. Part time scooter fanatic & part time SEO analyst. Nely’s favourite scooter is the Dualtron X.