Since this is a hobby i don't but too much time, more i put the time i can. I have browse a lot of web site/tutorial about how to do a car tire. But since i am a guy that love learning and doing ok the first time (yeah i am that anxious sometime) but i found that a lot of modeler use one technic and another. i am trying from there view to create my own.
So that is why i like that reference picture, because i get the shape of the tire and the rim. From there you can create a line that will fit the profile and if you want more detail to, you add more points to control the shape.
Maybe that will help you there are alot on the web from multiple tutorial. i even base my research from all the other software to see what i can apply for myself.
As for the Tire rubber, tire itself i am ok, my problem his more with threading of the tire.