Improvised Vehicle Armor for SHTF scenario

Perhaps somebody with more background and experience can help me with this. This is all speculation based upon some basic observations.

I was thinking about some improvised vehicle armor using old tires.

Most tires, as most of you are probably aware, contain layers of cordura and belted steel, in addition to the thick layers of rubber on the outside. A diagram of a typical tire is shown below.


Fig. 1: cutaway of radial tire

The idea consists of cutting tires into squares, or some other shape, and arranging into an overlapping pattern similar to "scale armor". Then the "tire scale" would be placed on the inside of a door panel, possibly in multiple layers.


Fig. 2: example of "scale" armor

Obviously, you would not be able to use this technique for an entire vehicle, as it would get very heavy very quick. But this could easily be applied over the front of the radiator, and in the driver's side door panels and offer enough protection to get from point A to point B. I estimate that two layers of this "tire scale" would be equivalent to level III armor.

Any thoughts or comments on this would be appreciated. I do not have as much experience with armor as some other members here might, and would like some educated criticism.

Interesting idea

I like the scaled-armour plate, though it would need a brute of a power-saw to cut through and shape the tyre sections...perhaps if the tyres were cut along the road-contact tread surface to give a long armoured belt, then it could (theoretically) be rivetted in a 'ship-lap' layered pattern along vulnrable body-sections of a vehicle, such as the bonnet and wings to protect the engine compartment, or hung at the rear and sides of the passenger/driver cockpit as a flexible bullet-stop

The idea of the arrangement being flexibly mounted from the roof of the interior (from a roll-cage perhaps?) and left freely hanging down would allow the bullets energy to be expended in deflection-movement of the dense tyre-mass rather than a solid-fixed tyre strip that could allow a bullet/riccochet to penetrate