How to Read Codes on Tires

You will probably get the preferred tire size along with the speed and also load reports for your car on a placard inside a doorjamb, the glove area, or on the gas-filler access. Here's all those cryptic sidewall trades lead to for a standard tire:

Sizing. P235/70R16 is a regular one. P indicates passenger-car tire, although the tire is usually built for light trucks (an LT, or light truck, prefix is made for hard-wearing light-truck tires). This particular number 235 is the cross-area width using millimeters, and 70 is the proportion of sidewall height toward cross-area width (70 %). R indicates radial-ply design and then 16 is the wheel diameter, in inch.

Load index. This number relies upon the weight the tire that could securely hold. You can see it after the tire size; the 104 load index for many of the tires examined with this data correlates to 1,984 pounds. Pick tires with a load index around up to the one which is shown on the car's placard.

Speed report. This notice indicates the highest endurable speed which is set following the load index. For S-speed-performing tires, it's 112 mph; for T, 118 mph. Speed reports for different tires feature Q, 99 mph; H, 130 mph; V, 149 mph; W, 168 mph; Y, 186 mph; and also ZR, over 149 mph. As this kind of speeds looks hugely impracticable, tires that have more speed reports will give best controlling at authorized speed limits. Prefer tires which have a speed report about nearly the one given on the car's placard.

Tread-wear report. Levels for our light-van tires ranged from 300 to 540. In theory, a tire rated 500 will endure twice assuming one rated 250. However the tire manufacturers confirm the tires fullfil the utilize points.

Grip/Traction and temp ratings. The ratings represent a tire's wet-stopping functionality and temperature durability. For a better grip, AA is perfect, C is disaster. For temperature durability, ratings starting from A (ideal) to C.

Optimum pressure. Basically a tire's optimum reliable air pressure, set in pounds per sq inch. However that doesn't suggest you have to pump up the tires to that particular pressure, because automakers usually suggest an inflation pressure good below the tire's optimum air pressure. Use the recommendation on the car's placard.

At what time the tire is created. Each tire features a Department of Transportation (DOT) number sticking with the letters at the sidewall. The last 4 numbers define the week and also year the tire was created; for instance, the numbers 2211 may indicate that the tire was designed throughout the 22nd week of 2011. Never purchase tires over two years old.