TYRE OR TIRE

The outer lining of a wheel, which contacts the road or rail and may be metal or rubber is spelled Tyre/tire.

Tire is the older spelling, but both were used in the 15th and 16th centuries (for a metal tire); tire became the settled spelling in the 17th century.

Tyre (as in "car tyre") was revived in the UK in the 19th century for pneumatic tyres, possibly because it was used in some patent documents, though many continued to use tire for the iron variety.

The spelling systems of Commonwealth countries, for the most part, closely resemble the British system. In Canada, however, while most spelling is "British", many "American" spellings are also used such as tire.