Vehicle care and maintenance
7-29
7 Tires
N00939200481
It is important to familiarize yourself with the following terms:
Cold tire pressure:
• The measured pressure after the vehicle has been parked
for at least three hours,
or
• The measured pressure when the vehicle is driven less
than 1 mile (1.6 km) after having been parked for three
hours.
Maximum inflation pressure: the maximum permissible
cold tire inflation pressure for this tire.
Recommended inflation pressure: the inflation pressure
for optimum tire performance.Intended outboard sidewall:
• The sidewall that contains a whitewall, bears white let-
tering or bears manufacturer, brand, and/or model name
molding that is higher or deeper than the same molding
on the other sidewall of the tire,
or
• The outward facing sidewall of an asymmetrical tire that
has a particular side that must always face outward
when mounted on a vehicle.
Passenger car tire: a tire intended for use on passenger
cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, and trucks, that
have a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 10,000
pounds or less.
Light truck (LT) tire: a tire designated by its manufacturer
as primarily intended for use on lightweight trucks or mul-
tipurpose passenger vehicles.
Tread: portion of a tire that comes into contact with the
road.
Tread rib: a tread section running circumferentially
around a tire.
Tread separation: pulling away of the tread from the tire
carcass.
Carcass: the tire structure, except tread and sidewall rub-
ber which, when inflated, bears the load.
Sidewall: portion of a tire between the tread and bead.
Section width: the linear distance between the exteriors of
the sidewalls of an inflated tire, excluding elevations due
to labeling, decoration, or protective bands.
Bead: the part of the tire that is made of steel wires,
wrapped or reinforced by ply cords and that is shaped to
fit the rim.
Ply: a layer of rubber-coated parallel cords.
WA R N I N G
!Driving with tires that are worn, damaged or
improperly inflated is dangerous.
These type tire conditions will adversely affect vehi-
cle performance.
These type tire conditions can also cause a tread sep-
aration or blowout which may result in an accident
causing serious injury or death.Tires, including spare tire, degrade over time with
age even when they are not being used. It is recom-
mended that tires over 6 years generally be replaced
even if damage is not obvious.
BK0119300US.book 29 ページ ２０１０年５月２１日 金曜日 午前１０時１３分
7-30 Vehicle care and maintenance
7
Cord: the strands forming the plies in the tire.
Rim: a metal support for a tire or a tire and tube assembly
upon which the tire beads are seated.
Rim diameter: nominal diameter of the bead seat.
Groove: the space between two adjacent tread ribs.Tire Markings
Size DesignationEXAMPLE:P215/65R15
NOTE
European/Japanese metric tire sizing is based on Euro-
pean/Japanese design standards. Tires designed to these
standards have the tire size molded into the sidewall
beginning with the section width. The letter “P” is
absent from this tire size designation. Example:
215/65R15 96H.
LT (Light Truck) -metric tire sizing is based on U.S.A.
design standards. The size designation for LT-metric
tires is the same as for P-metric tires except for the let-
ters “LT” that are molded into the sidewall preceding
the size designation. Example: LT235/85R16.
PPassenger car tire size based on U.S.A. design
standards
215 Section width in millimeters (mm.)
65Aspect ratio in percent (%)
Ratio of section height to section width of tire.
RConstruction code
• “R” means radial construction.
• “D” means diagonal or bias construction.
15 Rim diameter in inches (in)
BK0119300US.book 30 ページ ２０１０年５月２１日 金曜日 午前１０時１３分
9-6 Specifications
9Vehicle dimensions
N01147500482
Item
Vehicles with 16 inch tire
Vehicles with 18 inch tire
Overall length 180.0 in (4,570 mm) Overall width 69.4 in (1,760 mm) Overall height 58.3 in (1,480 mm) 58.7 in (1,490 mm)Wheel base 103.7 in (2,635 mm) BK0119300US.book 6 ページ ２０１０年５月２１日 金曜日 午前１０時１３分
