To provide a system for illumination display on a vehicle tire or a wheel.

A tire display apparatus is equipped with: a plurality of point light sources (LEDs or OLEDs (organic light emitting diode) which operate at one or more wavelengths) arranged in a predetermined array configuration; a microprocessor coupled to each of the plurality of point light sources; a power supply to supply electric power to the microprocessor and other elements of the apparatus; and a timing sensor configured to supply one or more timing signals to the microprocessor. The timing signals generated by the timing sensor provide sufficient information to determine the rotational rate and relative position of the plurality of point light sources. The microprocessor controls the flash sequence and duration of each point light source which are determined in accordance with the rotational rate and relative position of the tire or wheel while the light source travels in a rotational path around the tire or wheel.