Tire Impressions

Reveals more than you think!

Tire Impression Evidence

Getaway cars, hit and runs,

house breaks, murders…
most criminals use a
vehicle when they commit
a crime. This means the
possibility of leaving their
tire impressions behind.
Tire Tracks vs Tire Tread Patterns

Tires provide CSI with two

forms of evidence:

When a car drives, it may

leave behind... both tire
TRACKS and a tire TREAD
Look at the images - what two types of
PATTERNS.
evidence are left behind? Think about it, then
click and delete this box to find out!
Tire Tracks vs Tire Tread Patterns
Think about it! What information can we learn from Tracks vs Tread Patterns?
Drag each box to the right category! If you get stuck, move on in the slides and How wide the car is, from right
come back to it as you learn! tire to left tire

The brand / type of tire

Tire Tracks: the lines made Tire Tread Pattern: the
by the tires. impression of the tire’s
How long the car is, from front to
grooves. back tire

Unique wear marks that match a

specific tire

The direction the car went (if it

turned, went straight, etc)
Tire Tread Patterns
What can they tell us?
Tire Tread Patterns

Every brand of tire has a different

tread pattern. The type (brand) of
tire can be identified by its pattern.

Determining the brand of a tire

found at a crime scene is…
(drag the circle over the right answer)

Individual
Class Evidence
Evidence
Tire Tread Patterns

There are thousands of tires made

of the same brand, so this is class
evidence.

But, it can still be helpful for CSI

to compare the brand of tire
found at the scene to the tire
brand on a possible suspect’s
car.
Tire Tread Patterns

But that is not all!

As tires are used, they develop unique marks
from random damage they endure on the road.
These marks can show up in the tread pattern
left at a scene. They are unique to a single tire!
This means a tread pattern can also be...
(drag the circle over the right answer)

Individual Drag these arrows to

Class Evidence three unique wear
Evidence
marks in the tire above.
Tire Tread Patterns

Wear Bars
Many tire molds include wear bars.
As the tire ages, the tread wears
away, until the wear bars become
even with the tread. That means it is
time for new tires!

Relative depth of the wear bar can be

measured in 3D tire impressions -
Think about
another point ofit,comparison
how can wear
to a bars Old tire with shallow New tire with ful tread
be helpful to CSI? Click and depth to wear bar depth above wear bar
suspect’s tire!
delete this box to find out!
Tire Tread Patterns

But what if the tires are

brand new? Study
The topthe ‘S’
‘bump’
shapes in this
is missing
There are many molds used to make the tire. Look at their
lines, edges,
same brand of tire. Each mold may have
bumps...
slight irregularities that are particular to
that mold. Then look at the
area circled.
While this is still a class characteristic, it Do you see the
drastically narrows down the number of irregularity?
tires in the world that came from one Click and Delete
mold in one factory. this box to see!
Tire Impression Evidence

Tire Impressions can be two

dimensional (2D) flat, or 3
dimensional (3D) with depth
into soil or snow. Drag the labels
under the right type of impression

3D Tire Impression
Evidence

2D Tire Impression
Evidence
Collecting Tire Tread Evidence

All Tire Impression

Evidence is
Photographed!
Click HERE to see how
If the impression is 3D, a tire tread evidence is
cast will be taken to have collected and used in a
a permanent record of the murder investigation!
print.
Tire Tracks
What can they tell us?
Tire Tracks Evidence

Tire tracks can tell

investigators a lot about
the car that left them...

● Direction the car went

● The size of the vehicle
● Turning diameter
Like what? Click and
delete this box to find out!
Let’s explore each one!
Tire Tracks Evidence

Knowing where a
car went can point
CSI in the right
direction to search
for the suspect
and/or additional
evidence.
Determine the Size of the Vehicle

Tire Tracks can

Click the line. Drag the dots
be measured to
(ends of the line) to the car to
determine the show...
width and length
of a car. Track Width!

Wheelbase
Track Width: Wheelbase:
Width of the car. Distance Length of the car. Distance
from center the right tire to from center of the front tire
center the left tire. to center of the back tire.
Determine the Size of the Vehicle

Track Width Click the red line. Drag

can be measured one dot of the line to the
center of the left tire track,
from the center
and the other dot on the
of right tire track center of the right tire
to center of the track.
left track.

Track Width!
Determine the Size of the Vehicle

When a car does a

three point turn, Watch THIS
tracks from all video clip to see
four tires can be a Jeep make a
back
seen! back three point turn.
(the jeep pulls in at
Now you can 0:55 sec, see the
front wheels rotate,
determine both then pull out at 1:25.
Track Width and Skip to the end to
see the print close
Wheelbase!
up!)
Front Front
Determine the Size of the Vehicle

Jump back to slide 16 and 18 Click the line. Drag the dots
if you need help! (ends of the line) to the car to
show...

Track Width!

Wheelbase
Determine the Size of the Vehicle
Look at the relative
measurements in the
purple boxes. Drag the
Knowing the Track Width and correct vehicle to the
box.
Wheelbase can give CSI an idea
of that type of vehicle to look for.

Track Width: Track Width: Track Width:

54 in | 1379 mm 73.9 inches | 1877 mm 54 in | 1379 mm

Wheelbase: Wheelbase: Wheelbase:

95.3 in | 2421 mm. 145.0 in (3,683 mm) 106 inches | 2,700 mm
Determine the Size of the Vehicle

Some situations allow

investigators to measure the
turning diameter of a vehicle -
the diameter of the circle made
when the steering wheel is fully
turned.
This provides another
indication of a vehicle's size.
 Determine the Size of the Vehicle

Measure using the track made by the front

outer tire.
A

● Choose any two points across the sharpest part of

x the turn (x and x’), measure the distance. Half of
x’
B that distance is (B)
● Measure from the midpoint of x to x’ to the top
of the turn (A)

Put A and B values into this formula:

Turning
ClickDiameter = box
and delete this (B2to➗see
A)the+ formula!
A
Determine the Size of the Vehicle

Click the line. Drag the dots (ends

of the line) to the tracks to show...

Measurement: x to x’

Measurement: A
Determine the Size of the Vehicle

You measure distance x to

x’ as 28 feet, and distance A
as 10 feet.

Use the formula on slide 22 to calculate

the turning diameter!

Turning
Diameter is: feet
Determine the Size of the Vehicle
Inside the purple box, put
the vehicles in order from
Vehicles with larger wheelbases largest to smallest turning
diameters!
typically have larger turning
diameters.

Largest Medium Smallest

Turning Turning Turning
Diameter Diameter Diameter
Tire Tracks

Think about it…There is a tire

track at the crime scene. What tire
made the impression you are
looking at? Drag the circle over the right
answer in the purple box.

The Front The Back

Tires Tires
Tire Tracks

Notice that when the car

turns, tracks from all four
tires are visible!

Look closely at the Jeep, and Back Passenger

the tracks. Drag the arrows to
label the track made by each Front Passenger
tire!
Front Driver
Hint: start with the back
driver tire - you can see the
Back Driver
track it is making in the snow!
Tire Tracks

If there are different tread

patterns (brands of tire) for
one or more of the four tires,
this is just another piece of
evidence investigators can
use to match with a suspect
vehicle!
Review What You Learned!
Can you remember what we can learn from Tire Tracks vs Tire Tread
The direction the car went (if it
Patterns? Drag the phrases to the right boxes! turned, went straight, etc)

The wheelbase of Gives only class

Tire Tread Pattern Tire Tracks the car evidence

Turning diameter Brand of Tire

Unique wear marks that match a

specific tire
Gives class and
The track width of
individual
the car
evidence
This slide will have the data for Activity 15/16-4 Part A on Monday!