SDI1575
Example
TIRE LABELING
Federal law requires tire manufac-
turers to place standardized informa-
tion on the sidewall of all tires. This
information identifies and describes
the fundamental characteristics of
the tire and also provides the tire
identification number (TIN) for safety
standard certification. The TIN can be
used to identify the tire in case of a
recall.
SDI1606
Example*1Tire size (example: P215/60R16
94H)
1.P: The“P”indicates the tire is
designed for passenger vehicles.
(Not all tires have this informa-
tion.)
2.Three-digit number (215): This
number gives the width in milli-
meters of the tire from sidewall
edge to sidewall edge.
3.Two-digit number (60): This num-
ber, known as the aspect ratio, gives the tire’s ratio of height to
width.
4.R: The “R”stands for radial.
5.Two-digit number (16): This num-
ber is the wheel or rim diameter in
inches.
6.Two- or three-digit number (94):
This number is the tire’ s load
index. It is a measurement of
how much weight each tire can
support. You may not find this
information on all tires because it
is not required by law.
7.H: Tire speed rating. You should
not drive the vehicle faster than
the tire speed rating.
Maintenance and do-it-yourself8-35
9-10Technical and consumer information
DIMENSIONS
Overall lengthin (mm)208.3 (5,290)
Overall width in (mm)79.9 (2,030)
Overall height in (mm)
75.8 (1,925)
Front tread in (mm)67.5 (1,715)
Rear tread in (mm)
67.9 (1,725)
Wheelbase in (mm)121.1 (3,075)
9-30Technical and consumer information
DOT (Department Of Transportation) Qual-
ity Grades: All passenger car tires must
conform to federal safety requirements in
addition to these grades.
Quality grades can be found where applic-
able on the tire sidewall between tread
shoulder and maximum section width. For
example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
TREADWEAR
The treadwear grade is a comparative
rating based on the wear rate of the tire
when tested under controlled conditions
on a specified government test course. For
example, a tire graded 150 would wear one
and one-half (1 1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends
upon actual conditions of their use, how-
ever, and may depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and differences in road
characteristics and climate.
TRACTION AA, A, B AND C
The traction grades, from highest to low-
est, are AA, A, B and C. Those grades
represent the tire’s ability to stop on wet
pavement as measured under controlled
conditions on specified government test
surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction perfor-
mance.
WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.
TEMPERATURE A, B AND C
The temperature grades A (the highest), B,
and C, representing the tire’s resistance to
the generation of heat and its ability to
dissipate heat when tested under con-
trolled conditions on a specified indoor
laboratory test wheel. Sustained high
temperature can cause the material of the
tire to degenerate and reduce tire life, and
excessive temperature can lead to sudden tire failure. The grade C corresponds to a
level of performance which all passenger
car tires must meet under the Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 109.
Grades B and A represent higher levels of
performance on the laboratory test wheel
than the minimum required by law.
WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is
established for a tire that is properly
inflated and not overloaded. Excessive
speed, under-inflation, or excessive loading,
either separately or in combination, can
cause heat build-up and possible tire failure.
UNIFORM TIRE QUALITY GRADING
