Tyres
Hi,
I would like to introduce how tyres work, how to choose your tyre, how to get a good grip and best porformance from your SUV or normal car with these facts concerning car tyres.
Check out this link:
http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html
Please feel free to add any notes or comments.
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Vehicle Rating:
An optional letter (or letters) indicating the intended use or vehicle class for the tire:
- P: Passenger Car
- LT: Light Truck
- ST: Special Trailer
- T: Temporary (restricted usage for "Space-Saver" spare wheels)
Aspect Ratio:
The first number in this group indicates the width of the tire, the first number in this group indicates the width of the tire, measured from sidewall to sidewall, in millimeters.
The second number gives the sidewall height as a percentage of the width.
Construction Type:
- B:Bias belt (where the sidewalls are the same material as the tread, leading to a rigid ride)
- D: Diagonal
- R: Radial
Diameter: Diameter in inches of the wheel that the tire is designed to fit, in inches.
Load Index: The load index describes how much weight the tire can carry at maximum inflation pressure.
Speed Rating: The speed rating is a letter code, from A to Z, which indicates the maximum speed capabilities of the tire.
Plies - "E":The last letter in a standard tire size indicates the number of layers used in the construction of the tire. The higher the number of plies in a tire, the stronger the tire is and the more air pressure the tire can safely hold. Higher ply tires require more air pressure to maintain proper wear.
- "No letter" the tire has the standard 4 plies.
- "C" indicates 6 plies.
- "D" indicates 8 plies.
- "E" indicates 10 plies.
Conditions:
- M+S or M&S: Mud and Snow
- M&S + snow flake shape: Dedicated Winter Mud and Snow
- M+SE: Mud and Snow with spikes.
- ATR: All Terrain Radial tire
- OTR: The Off The Road tire classification includes tires for construction vehicles such as wheel loaders, Graders.
- RF: Run flat Several innovative designs have been introduced that permit tires to run safely with no air for a limited range at a limited speed.
Traction:
Traction ratings are written (from highest to lowest) as "AA", "A","B", and "C". Temperature: A tire's temperature resistance is assigned the following grades.
Tread wear:
The tread wear grade describes how long the tire manufacturer expects the tire to last. A Course Monitoring Tire (the standard tire that a test tire will be compared to) has a rating of "100". If a manufacturer assigns a tread wear rating of 200 to a new tire, they are indicating that they expect the new tire to have a useful lifespan that is 200% of the life of a Course Monitoring Tire.
U.S. DOT & Safety Standard Markings:
DOT
The "DOT" marking indicates that the tire meets or exceeds the U.S. Department of Transportation's safety standard for tires.
Manufacturer Plant Code - "CC"
The first two letters following the DOT marking are codes to identify the manufacturer of the tire and the manufacturing plant.
Tire Size - "9L"
The third and fourth characters following the DOT marking are codes representing the tire size.
Brand Characteristics - "YYY"
The final three or four letters are codes representing other significant characteristics of the tire as determined by the manufacturer.
Manufacture Week - "11"
The first pair of digits identifies the week the tire was manufactured. In this case, the tire was manufactured in the 11th week. The number 01 would indicate the first week of January, whereas the number 52 would indicate the last week of December.
Other Abbreviations:
- BSW: Black Sidewall
- WSW: White Sidewall
- OWL: Outline White Lettering
- E4: Tire approved according ECE-regulations, the number indicating the country of approval.
- TL: Tubeless
- TT: Tube-type, tire must be used with an inner-tube
- Made in ...: Country of production
- C: Commercial; tires for light trucks (Example: 185 R14 C)
- SFI, or Inner: Side Facing Inwards; inside of asymmetric tires
- SFO, or Outer: Side Facing Outwards; outside of asymmetric tires
- SL: Standard Load; tire for normal usage and loads
- XL: eXtra Load; tire for vehicles of heavier standard weights
- RF: Reinforced tires
