This section will allow you to quickly understand the inscriptions found on tires. It is important to understand this information to make sure the right tire is installed for the right application. For the purpose of an example we will take a tire sized at P195/65R15 89H.
Here’s how to interpret this information.
P: The “P” stands for “P-metric” or “passenger”. This is a North American designation. European tires have the “P” before the dimension. In both cases we are dealing with a tire for a passenger car. The letters “LT” mean (Light truck) and are intended for a van, light truck or S.U.V.
The “195” simply means that the width of your tire is 195 millimetres. The higher the number is the wider the tire will be.
The “65” is the height of the sidewall (the lateral area of the tire between the rim and the outer parts of the thread). This height is not a measurement in millimetres but a proportion. The height of the sidewall is calculated relatively to the width of the tire. In our example the sidewall of the tire has a height representing 65% of the width or, 126.75 mm (195 mm x 65% = 126.75 mm)
R: The “R” indicates that the tire is a radial type tire. A “B” would indicate a “bias” carcase and a “D” a diagonal carcase. For a passenger car it is most of the time a radial type carcase.
15: The number “15” simply indicates the rim diameter in inches. 89: The number “89”represents the load index. This represents the maximum load the tire can support at its maximum inflation. In this case, 600kg. Which means you must not exceed a gross weight of 2.4 tonnes (600kg x 4). Refer to the table below for the different load indexes. H: The letter “H” indicates the speed rating of the tire. Refer to the table below to see the corresponding maximum speed to its speed rating index.
Other useful information that can be found on a tire: The manufacturing date which is usually mentioned with four (4) digits. The first two (2) digits indicate which week the tire was manufactured and the last two (2) indicate the year. For example if the four (4) digits are 2617, the tire was manufactured on the 26th week of the year 2017. If the tire has DOT (department of transportation) written on it, this means that the tire meets the safety standards established by the Secretary of American Transport. Beside the word DOT, usually we can identify the serial number.
There is also the letters UTQG identified on all tires except winter tires which stands for (Uniform Quality Grading System) which is a way to grade the tires performance in a controlled environment which is generally done on a government test track under uniformed and controlled circumstances. This UTQG index is a number accompanied by two (2) letters for example 640AB.
This how you can interpret the following information:
640: This number is a measurement of the thread wear. One hundred (100) is the lowest government accepted thread wear. If the number would be two hundred (200) this would mean the tire should last twice as long in a controlled environment. In our example the tire should last 6.4 times longer than a tire with a tread wear of one hundred (100). The UTQG index of tires can only be compared among tires of a same make and may vary from one manufacturer to another. A: Which is the first letter in our example represents the tires traction capabilities which can vary from the letter “A” being good, “B” being intermediate and finally the letter “C” being acceptable. This letter indicates the tires braking capacity on wet pavement. This index is measured in a straight line and does not give any information on the cornering capacities of the tire.
B: The second letter in our example indicates the tires resistance to heat. Again this index is measured in three (3) possible letters: “A” being good, “B” being intermediate and “C” being acceptable. The temperature index represents the resistance capacities of the tire to generate heat. Prolong exposure to high temperatures can shorten its useful life. Excessive temperatures may even cause the tire to collapse. “C” is the minimum index code required by current government standards.
Some manufacturers will offer certain coverage against road hazards on some of their products. The road hazards warranties are generally valid for a (1) year following the purchase date of the tires or for the first 2/32th of wear, whichever comes first. Some restrictions apply and the tires would need to be verified by the manufacturer on a case to case basis.
For more information, do not hesitate to contact our customer service at 1-844-778-2887 or by referring yourself to the manufacturer’s warranty forms.