A mass‐spring tire model having five degrees of freedom is used to analyze the tangential and radial axial forces that result from a tire hitting a cleat. The belt and tread region is modeled by a rigid ring. Deflections from the cleat are absorbed by a line spring and those from the smooth portion of the test wheel (the ground) are absorbed by a plane spring; both are attached to the rigid ring. Calculated results agreed well with experimental results.