Be smart about your tires: What does the writing on the sidewall mean?

Your tires are generally ignored. We never pay attention to them unless something goes wrong. This usually happens when they are flat or when they are the cause of our failed state inspection. Tires are extremely important and their role should never be taken for granted.

Your tires are literally “where the rubber meets the road” and choosing the right tires at replacement time can be critical. So when the friendly sales representative at your local tire center makes a recommendation on which tires to buy, you should be ready with an informed response. Don’t let them sell you an old tire and certainly not the most expensive tire for your vehicle based on that recommendation.

To be an informed tire consumer (I know that’s what you want, right?), You need to know a little about tires. Not only do you need to know a little more about tires, but you also need to know how to read and speak “tires.” By this I mean, you need to know the difference between one tire and the next. What’s its purpose? What is it good at? What’s that not Good in? How long should it last?

Yes, there are many unanswered questions, but the answers are there, if you know how to read “tires”. What we are going to do in this essay is learn a new language. It is not difficult and I promise there is no proof “at the end of this chapter”. My goal is to make you an informed consumer because informed consumers save money.

There is a written description on the side of each car tire. I know there is a lot of information on that tire. It looks like a bunch of confusing numbers and letters that don’t seem to mean much. That is, not much to the inexperienced or uneducated eye, but those in the “know” know. There are 5 groups of information you want to pay attention to. There is the Purpose / Size / Type group, the 3 T groups, and the Inflation / Load group.

Purpose / Size / Type

This group has the largest type or font size and will look like this: 235 / 45ZR17 97W XL M + S. Let’s break it down into digestible pieces with each piece acting as a placeholder.

“235” – This number represents the width of the rim measured in millimeters, from side to side. The higher the number, the wider the tire.

“45”: This number represents the aspect ratio. Aspect ratio is the measure of the height to width of the tire. The height of the tire is measured from the inside diameter to the outside diameter. In our example, the height of the tire is 45% of the width of the tire, so 235mm x 45% = 105.75mm. The lower this number, the lower the profile of the tire. High-performance tires tend to have a low profile.

“Z” – Location Z represents the service group. What is the intended service of the tire? In our example, “Z” represents the Performance tire. Typically, the service group letter is at the beginning of the Purpose / Size / Type group. A “P” would represent a passenger car and “LT” stands for a light truck.

“R”: this letter represents the type of construction of the tire. In this case it is a radial tire. Could be “D” for Diagonal or “B” for Bias Belt

“17”: this number represents the rim / wheel measurement or the inner diameter.

“97”: This number represents the load index. The load index stipulates the maximum load or weight that the tire can support.

“W”: This letter represents the speed rating. The higher the letter in the alphabet, the faster the tire has, although the letter “Y” has a faster speed than the letter “Z”. There are other exceptions to the rule.

“XL”: in this case means Additional load, or the tire supports a higher inflation than a standard tire.

“M + S”: this combination means mud and snow.

Now there will be some variations between tires and between different manufacturers, but the placeholders will be the same. Many of the letters and numbers simply represent additional functions and features, but I think you get the idea. The Purpose / Size / Type group represents the general physical characteristics of the tire.

The 3 T

This group represents the functional characteristics of the tire.

Tread Wear: This rating is based on the rate of tire wear while testing under controlled conditions. The higher the number, the longer the tread will last. Therefore, a tire with a 300 tread wear rating will last twice as long as a 150 rated tire. Obviously, your driving habits, tire rotations, and wheel alignment will have a lot to do with the actual wear of a particular tire. drawn.

Traction – This rating symbolizes the tire’s ability to stop in wet conditions. Grades are AA, A, B, and C from high to low. Traction rating only reflects straight-line braking and not braking when turning.

Temperature – This rating reflects how the tire resists and dissipates heat. Excessive heat will reduce the life of the tire. The grades from highest to lowest are A, B, and C.

The 3Ts are based on tires that are mounted correctly, are properly inflated and are not overloaded.

Inflation / Load group

Inflation – This rating shows the maximum safe tire inflation measured in pounds per square inch.

Load: shows the load or the maximum weight that the tire can safely carry. This number directly reflects the rating number in our Purpose / Size / Type group, which is 97 in our example.

The Inflation / Load group is what you need to look for while monitoring and maintaining proper inflation of your tires.

Being able to read and speak “tires” will come in handy when shopping for tires online. This skill will be even more valuable when you are face to face with the sales representative at your local tire store. After you tell him your tire size, you can say something like “I need a tire with a minimum traction index of AA, a minimum tread wear of 400, with a minimum speed index of H”. In this case, you get a tire with great wet traction, long service life, and a faster speed rating than you are likely to ever drive.

They will not be able to sell you an old tire simply because you are knowledgeable and educated.

Who knew that learning another language could be so much fun! That’s funny. I think I’ve heard that somewhere before.

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