Left over sidewalls from repurposed tires

I am in the planning stage of building a permanent road on my homestead. Because of the slope of the land, washout is an issue and geo grid seemed like the solution, unfortunately the price of the grid made that untenable.  I recently stumbled upon someone using old tires with the sidewalls cut off as the grid base for a road. This seems like a perfect solution for my situation but it will leave me with hundreds of rubber circles to deal with.

Does anyone have any ideas for reusing the sidewall pieces for anything useful? I would prefer not to just throw them back in the garbage to end up in a landfill.

You can cut sidewalls into long elastic straps.
Those straps could be used to tie your geogrid together, as rails on a fence, or cargo straps.
Other uses are as silage tarp weights,or as roof tiles.
You could also use them as fill in the tires themselves, stabilizing  and saving money on fill material.
Here are other ways of using the treads :

Blasting Mats



Cattle Mats

Farmers use them as weights to hold down tarps

You could use them as part of your geogrid or as a driveway base in less sloped areas.

maybe just place them at the base of tire cut outs, then backfill with gravel

Thank you for all the tips. I think chopping them into small pieces and using them as filler material for the road will suit my needs perfectly.

So how are the tire Rings used as geogrid? Are they just laid out in a bunch of circles? Or are they shaped in some way? Like squeezed in the center to make teardrop shapes?

I think tires sidewalls are free of the metal and fiber belts that are in the tread areas. I think side walls are often shredded and used as the mulch in playground areas as well as in horse arenas? I know that I have seen a shredded 'rubber' mat to go around the base of trees (lets water through but not weeds up)

Could they be layered and cut into 'pavers' to go in walkways?  I saw that infill in the 'poormans geohex' has been mentioned.

Many years ago my parents had a mat outside the front door that I think was made from old Tire strips. I never knew where it came from but we had it forever. Sliced up sidewall strips could work very well for that, Christmas gifts to other permies?

Rob Schwartz wrote:I am in the planning stage of building a permanent road on my homestead. Because of the slope of the land, washout is an issue.  I recently stumbled upon someone using old tires with the sidewalls cut off as the grid base for a road. it will leave me with hundreds of rubber circles to deal with.

Does anyone have any ideas for reusing the sidewall pieces for anything useful? I would prefer not to just throw them back in the garbage to end up in a landfill.

I think op might be planing to use a technique called Mechanical Concrete.
I believe it was created by a company but here is a video of a diy project that is using it:

OK, I'm honestly not sure what's up with that thumnail...

Good morning. Is there a reason that you cut out the side wall & how do you hold them together? Thank you.

They cut the top sidewall so it is easier to fill and you don’t drive on the rubber (rubber on rubber is dangerously slick when wet).

The tires can be bolted together where they touch. Bigger drill bit than bolt, fender washers on both sides, they stay super solid.

William Bronson wrote:OK, I'm honestly not sure what's up with that thumnail...

It's explained at 7:03  

Thank you for your reply.

Could the sidewalls be woven with the rectangular tyre (tire) treads to be used as upstream permeable anti flood barriers like leaky dams bolted together with stainless steel bolts?

I run a small community group in the Uk that promotes the reuse of material . We have been donating aid and researching designs for stronger window and door shutters in warzones like Ukraine.

Perhaps the tyre walls could be woven with the rectangular tyre treads sandwiched between a wood or metal frame and plywood sheets to strengthen storm shutters in hurricane zones or protect agains blast force or shrapnel for windows and doors in a war zone like Ukraine.

I assume the side walls would be a tripping hazard if used as a woven walking path over muddy ground. Perhaps if the rectangular tyre tread was coach bolted on top (with long coach bolt threaded end sinking into the mud to stabilise it)

I cannot see how to add a picture, so have added a link to my blog https://cabinznet.blogspot.com/2025/07/ideas-for-products-made-by-reusing-used.html
showing a pic of my first attempt at cutting and weaving these tyre parts. I will update the blog with further pics as research on tyre weaving variations as uses develop .

I had some similar thoughts & pics with reused tyres and storm shutters 8 years ago : .. see Idea for Reinforcing Window Storm Plywood Shutters on a Budget with Cut Up Used Tyres https://cabinznet.blogspot.com/2017/09/idea-for-reinforcing-window-storm.html

Rob Schwartz wrote:I am in the planning stage of building a permanent road on my homestead. Because of the slope of the land, washout is an issue and geo grid seemed like the solution, unfortunately the price of the grid made that untenable.  I recently stumbled upon someone using old tires with the sidewalls cut off as the grid base for a road. This seems like a perfect solution for my situation but it will leave me with hundreds of rubber circles to deal with.

Does anyone have any ideas for reusing the sidewall pieces for anything useful? I would prefer not to just throw them back in the garbage to end up in a landfill.

Hey Paul, welcome to Permies!
I am very impressed, it's as if you plucked this strait out of my head and made it real!
I think you could create a huge mat by weaving  these strips together, side by side.
My own use would be as a driveway alternative.
If fasteners are needed, maybe rivets would make sense.

William Bronson wrote:Hey Paul, welcome to Permies!
I am very impressed, it's as if you plucked this strait out of my head and made it real!
I think you could create a huge mat by weaving  these strips together, side by side.
My own use would be as a driveway alternative.
If fasteners are needed, maybe rivets would make sense.

Thanks for that William. We thought about rivets, but are maybe a bit too small in diameter, unless I can get thicker ones. Best coach bolts with big washers?
Yes Driveway sounds interesting

William Bronson wrote:Hey Paul, welcome to Permies!
I am very impressed, it's as if you plucked this strait out of my head and made it real!
I think you could create a huge mat by weaving  these strips together, side by side.
My own use would be as a driveway alternative.
If fasteners are needed, maybe rivets would make sense.

Hi William :  update: Q. to Chatgpt - 'show a repeated matrix of the hoop shape sidewalls of scrap tyres cut away from the tread laid flat and threaded with the rectangular shaped flat tread tyre part threaded in and out through the tyre hoops in a triaxial weave'

Perhaps this could be used to strengthen shelter walls / roofs