After flying high and sailing smooth in last month’s peek into airplane and boat element NPU, we’re staying grounded—sort of. This time, we’re rolling into the world of wheels and tires, some of LEGO’s most iconic and versatile parts.

Sure, they’re meant for cars, trucks, and all things that vroom… but in the hands of a clever builder? These rubbery rings and round parts can become anything. From monster mouths to bonsai pots, wheels go way beyond the road.

Wheely cool pieces, eh?

Let’s hit the gas and get bricks rolling to check out some wheely clever builds!

LEGO on the Move

It’s common knowledge these days that The LEGO Group produces the most tires in the world (though much smaller in size than most of their competitors). LEGO cars have been produced since the 60s in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Trucks? Yep. Racecars? Definitely. Lunar rovers? Even those, too!

Behold, one of the first LEGO cars! Released in 1955, the Esso Bedford Tanker is a single, little truck. And it’s appropriately red like the LEGO logo!

What a classy ride!

The first wheel elements came out in 1963, two years after LEGO released the Vehicles theme. Connecting to the car with a little metal axle, these revolutionized sets.

I snagged this from a short presentation about the lego company off lego.com

The first LEGO treads were released in 1974 with the Gear Bulldozer Set. This predates the minifig, so they created a little dude out of a handful of basic bricks, and even a little hat with a 2×3 slope.

Along with the first modern minifigures in 1978, the town theme released with a new style of car! These included movable doors, a windscreen and a new steering wheel element.

four wide cars are the perfect scale for cars, prove me wrong!

These days LEGO produces hundreds of cars a year, with tires getting fancier and fancier, even a few with printing!

formula 1 must be lego’s favorite sport!

In the hands of an AFOL, tires and wheels have a bunch of uses! Let’s take a peek!

Mechanized Madness

Bones, a a veteran Bionicle and mecha builder, made the Orbit Martyr for Bio-Cup 2024.

Space station? alien? WHo knows?

For the middle of the body Bones used an inverted tire. There’s all sorts of cool parts in there: Harry Potter wands for fingers, a fire truck ladder element on the back, but my favorite part usage is a Technic engine panel placed under the bridge.

Bring in the Big Guns

Tino Poutiainen expertly crafts visually striking creations, and Nest is no exception.

Spooky

Mixing old and new dark grey is unusual, but it looks wonderful here! Some of the smaller guys on top of the tank use small tires around a 1×1 round tile, and the guns around the outside of the tank use RoboRider wheels. I love the texture those elements make!

Tiny Trees

Duncan Linbo proves that small builds can make a big impression. His 20-brick bonsai is both clever and charming.

Its so cute!

For the pot, he used a Technic wheel. I think it might be fun to limit a build to 20 pieces—might be a fun little challenge!

Terrifying Tires!

I love me a good Eldritch Horror, and hacimbricks brought their A game with Tan’thu The Ancient Entity, a writhing kaiju of rubber and rage.

that galleon never stood a chance

He uses hundreds of tires and wheels for the eyes, in all shapes and sizes. For the tentacles, a bunch of inside-out tires did the trick. The mouth consists of a few dozen Ninjago dragon jaws, with the spines for some teeth giving the whole thing an otherworldly, gaping maw.

Tunes from Tires

The LEGO color and material expert, Rylie Howerter, liked her headphones so much she had to build them out of bricks!

Almost too accurate!

For the cushions on the side of the headphones, she used some treads and heaps of small tires. To be honest, I was looking through her Flickr feed years ago and totally glanced past these, I legitimately thought this wasn’t built from LEGO.

Step by Step

Tiles are a go-to for floors, but TomStuds decided to take the scenic route. His forest hideaway build features tires packed with cheese slopes, creating a rippling, reflective surface that mirrors the trees beyond.

Hidden throughout the model are easter eggs galore: frogs, Unikitty tails, whips, wands, and even treasure chests. It’s one of those builds that invites a closer look… and then another… and then a third.

Rolling to a Stop

B9 and Robby the Robot by j-p-30

Whether they’re stacked as pillars, stretched into tentacles, or transformed into headphones, LEGO tires and wheels are more than just for rolling. They offer shape, texture, movement, and a touch of surprise to any MOC when used well.

So next time you open a Speed Champions set or find an old tire in your parts bin, don’t just think “car” and throw it in your ever-expanding container of LEGO tires. Instead, think bonsai. Think Eldritch horror. Think architecture. Think space robot! Because in the world of NPU, even the most ordinary parts can reinvent the wheel.

What’s your favorite use of tires in a build? Let us know in the comments below!

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