Have you ever glanced at the tire symbols looking the sidewalls of your vehicle’s tires and found yourself wondering? If so, this reading is for you to clear all of your quires. Delving into the meaning behind these tire symbols can unravel a deep information about your tires.
Let’s embark on this journey:
Tire symbols meaning
Why is it crucial to grasp the meaning of tire symbols?
Each symbol made onto your tire sidewalls serves as a gateway to comprehensive insights into your tires. Understanding these symbols isn’t just helpful but sometimes it’s essential for the drivers.
In the vast landscape of tires with different brands, categories, styles, types, and designs, deciphering these symbols becomes paramount. They hold crucial details about your tire’s dimensions, load capacity, and classification.
Having this knowledge, you’re better equipped to make informed decisions when purchasing tires. Not only does it enhance performance and safety, but it also ensures a smoother driving experience. Understanding tire symbols is directly guiding you towards the optimal selection for your needs.
Reasons for tire marking
The marks on tires are made for some reasons. The two main reasons are;
- Important information and Specs.
- Pass through all the safety standards.
Meanings of Tire Symbols
Here we are going to discuss all the tire meanings that can easily be seen and understood from the sidewall and provide every detail from one glance;
Identify the tire type
The brand of the tire is mentioned on the sidewall of the tire that is readable. Tire names contain a lot of alphabets joined together in a row. After the brand name, the first alphabet mentioned is the tire type.
These few letters mentioned will help you to understand the type of tire;
LT: Light Truck
P: Passenger
ST: Special Trailer
T: Temporary
- Tire Width
Tire width of the tire can be understood by the next mentioned three-digit number. This is measured in millimeters from the front sidewall to the back sidewall.
- Aspect Ratio
Where the tire width is written, you’ll find a slash / having another digit set. This is designed to compare the tire width along the height of the sidewall.
- Tire Construction
After completing with Aspect ratio, you will see a single letter along that represents the tire construction. This is because there are various construction tire styles available that perform well in increasing good performance.
The mark of tire construction is compulsory for some specific vehicles. These constructions use cords that are coated with rubber but are constructed from steel and polyester.
The radical tires are represented by the symbol R while Bias tires are represented by the letters B and D. The Run Flat tires are represented by RF, RFT, EMT, ZP, and SSR. Moreover, the trailer tires are represented by the ST symbol.
- Diameter
Wheel diameter states the number on which the tire is mounted. The diameter of the tire consists of two digits and is used to signify the wheel’s rim. These digits will help you to understand the number of inches in the wheel part. The range of diameter is between 13 degrees to 24 degrees.
- Load Index
Load index is also mentioned on the tire which indicates how much weight a tire can support. This can consist of two or three digits. The load weight is based on the chart that you can get from the manufacturer too.
- Speed Rating
Speed rating correlates with the maximum speed capability. Most vehicles have a faster speed as compared to normal ones because of the speed rating on the tire. Speed rating also ensures safe and secure driving even at the high speed.
- DOT Symbol
This is one of the most important things mentioned on the tire. The Dot symbol indicates that the tires meet the standards of the National Highway Safety Administration.
The code of a Dot Symbol starts with a dot and 3 or 4 numbers. The first two represent the week of manufacturing while the other two mention the year.
- Tire Identification Number (TIN)
In the tire identification number, the first 4 digits represent the factory where the tire was manufactured. Next is the specific coding that is used for tracking the tire and the last two numbers are about the launch of the tire.
What are Tire Codes?
Tire marking is another thing that confuses you more than the tire symbols. Here are the details given about the deciphering of the tire code that will surely blow your mind;
Deciphering Example of the tire code
Here we are going to teach you all with a basic tire symbol that you see. Yes, it is P215/65R15 95H. let’s begin;Here we are going to teach you all with a basic tire symbol that you see. Yes, it is P215/65R15 95H. let’s begin;
P: As the first letter P indicates the type of tire. In this above example, P stands for Passenger.
215: Next is a 3-digit number that indicates the width of the tires. It is currently 215 millimeters.
65: These digits indicate the aspect ratio that represents the height of the tire as width’s percentage.
R: Now is another alphabet “R” which tells about the construction type of the tire. R stands for Radial, meaning the construction type for example one tire is radial.
15: It is the diameter of the tire. This 15 indicates that it has 15 inches diameter.
95: Another number with diameter tells about the maximum weight that a tire can hold. Here, 95 that is corresponds to 1521 pounds which will be 690 kilometers.
H: Another but last alphabet “H” indicates the speed of the tire. The speed rating starts from A to Y where A is the lowest and Y is the highest one. If we consider H then it corresponds to the max speed limit of 130 mph.
The bottom line
Knowing all the details about the tire symbols will help you to pick the best one. All the factors like type, quality, speed, and everything will be understandable if you learn how to read the tire symbols.
Remember all these things on the next attempt to change tires and pick the best one for you. Here is the time of the ending. Don’t just stand here. Read more by clicking on the given links and pick a worthy option by knowing everything.