A
Manufacturer
B Tire ply material (Y page 143)
C Tire size designation, load and speed
rating (Y page 140)
D Load identification (Y page 142)
E Tire name
i For illustration purposes only. Actual
data on tires are specific to each vehicle and may vary from data shown in above
illustration.
For more information, see “Rims and
tires” (Y page 216).
Tire size designation, load and speed
rating :
Tire width
; Aspect ratio in %
= Radial tire code
? Rim diameter
A Tire load rating
B Tire speed rating
i For information purposes only. Actual
data on tires are specific to each vehicle and may vary from data shown in above
illustration.
General:
Depending on the design standards used,
the tire size molded into the sidewall may
have no letter or a letter preceding the tire
size designation.
No letter preceding the size designation
(as illustrated above): Passenger car tire
based on European design standards. Letter “P” preceding the size designation:
Passenger car tire based on U.S. design
standards.
Letter “LT” preceding the size designa-
tion: Light Truck tire based on U.S. design
standards.
Letter “T” preceding the size designation: Temporary spare tires which are high pres-
sure compact spares designed for tempo-
rary emergency use only.
Tire width
Tire width :indicates the nominal tire
width in mm.
Aspect ratio
Aspect ratio ;is the dimensional rela-
tionship between tire section height and
section width and is expressed as a per-
centage. The aspect ratio is arrived at by
dividing section height by section width.
Tire code
Tire code =indicates the tire construc-
tion type. The “R” stands for radial tire
type. Letter “D” means diagonal or bias ply
construction; letter “B” means belted-bias
ply construction.
At the tire manufacturer’s option, any tire
with a speed capability above 149 mph
(240 km/h) can include a “ZR” in the size
designation (for example: 245/40 ZR 18).
For additional information, see “Tire
speed rating” (Y page 141).
Rim diameter
Rim diameter ?is the diameter of the
bead seat, not the diameter of the rim edge. Rim diameter is indicated in inches (in).
Tire load rating G
WARNING
The tire load rating must always be at least
half of the GAWR of your vehicle. Otherwise, tire failure may result and cause an acci-
dent and/or serious personal injury to you
or others. 140
Tires and wheels>> Operation.
