Tire Side Wall Markings
Learn The Tire Sidewall Markings Meaning
Locate the series of numbers on the tire sidewall, then use the diagram and the list below to find the meaning of each number.
1 Tire Type
Tire type defines the proper use of the tire. In this example, the letter "P" indicates a passenger car tire. The letters "LT" would indicate a light truck, "ST" is the abbreviation for special trailer and "T" is a temporary tire such as a space-saver spare. Also, when a letter before the width is not present it indicates a metric-sized tire.
2 Tire Width
The width of the tire measured in mm from sidewall to sidewall. In this example, the tire width is 215 mm.
3 Tire Height
The height of a tire’s sidewall is referred to as the aspect ratio. The aspect ratio is calculated as a percentage of the tire width. In the exmaple above, in this example the number 60 means that the tire sidewall height is equal to 60% of the tire’s width. The higher the aspect ratio number the higher the height of tire sidewall.
4 Tire Construction
Tire construction indicates how the layers of the tire are put together. Hence, in the example the letter "R" stands for radial, which means the layers run radially across the tire. The letter "B" stands for bias construction, and the letter "D" stands for diagonal construction. Consequently, both mean the layers run diagonally across the tire.
Different construction serve different purposes. Therefore, mixing different constructed tires on a vehicle can cause poor handling and tire failure.
5 Rim diameter
The rim diameter is the width of the tire in inches or cm from one end to the other. The diameter of the wheel in the example above is 16 inches. Most noteworthy, always replace a tire on a rim with another tire of the same rim diameter designation and suffix letters.
6 Load index
An assigned number that corresponds with the load-carrying capacity of a tire. Most passenger car tire load indexes range from 75 to 100, but a few carry more. Also, you can find the maximum load elsewhere on the tire sidewall, both in lbs. and kg.
Learn more about tire load index at RVTires.com.
7 Speed Rating
The speed rating is the maximum service speed for a tire. A speed rating is not a recommendation to exceed speed limits. Furthermore, it doesn’t indicate how well a tire handles or corners.