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4178-1. Specifications
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Vehicle specifications
Rim type
designationThe industry manufac-
turer’s designation for a rim
by style or code
Rim widthNominal distance between
rim flanges
Vehicle
capacity
weight
(Total load
capacity)The rated cargo and lug-
gage load plus 150 lb. (68
kg) times the vehicle’s des-
ignated seating capacity
Vehicle max-
imum load
on the tire
The load on an individual
tire that is determined by
distributing to each axle its
share of the maximum
loaded vehicle weight, and
dividing by two
Vehicle nor-
mal load on
the tire
The load on an individual
tire that is determined by
distributing to each axle its
share of curb weight, acces-
sory weight, and normal
occupant weight (distrib-
uted in accordance with
Table 1
* below), and dividing
by two
Weather
sideThe surface area of the rim
not covered by the inflated
tire
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
Bead sepa-
rationA breakdown of the bond
between components in the
bead
Tire related termMeaning
Bias ply tire
A pneumatic tire in which
the ply cords that extend to
the beads are laid at alter-
nate angles substantially
less than 90 degrees to the
centerline of the tread
Carcass
The tire structure, except
tread and sidewall rubber
which, when inflated, bears
the load
Chunking
The breaking away of
pieces of the tread or side-
wall
CordThe strands forming the
plies in the tire
Cord sepa-
rationThe parting of cords from
adjacent rubber com-
pounds
Cracking
Any parting within the
tread, sidewall, or innerliner
of the tire extending to cord
material
CT
A pneumatic tire with an
inverted flange tire and rim
system in which the rim is
designed with rim flanges
pointed radially inward and
the tire is designed to fit on
the underside of the rim in a
manner that encloses the
rim flanges inside the air
cavity of the tire
Extra load
tire
A tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at
higher inflation pressures
than the corresponding
standard tire
Tire related termMeaning
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4188-1. Specifications
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GrooveThe space between two
adjacent tread ribs
Innerliner
The layer(s) forming the
inside surface of a tubeless
tire that contains the inflat-
ing medium within the tire
Innerliner
separationThe parting of the innerliner
from cord material in the
carcass
Intended
outboard
sidewall
(a) The sidewall that con-
tains a whitewall, bears
white lettering, 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
(b) The outward facing side-
wall of an asymmetrical tire
that has a particular side
that must always face out-
ward when mounted on a
vehicle
Light truck
(LT) tire
A tire designated by its
manufacturer as primarily
intended for use on light-
weight trucks or multipur-
pose passenger vehicles
Load rating
The maximum load that a
tire is rated to carry for a
given inflation pressure
Maximum
load rating
The load rating for a tire at
the maximum permissible
inflation pressure for that
tire
Tire related termMeaning
Maximum
permissible
inflation
pressureThe maximum cold inflation
pressure to which a tire may
be inflated
Measuring
rimThe rim on which a tire is fit-
ted for physical dimension
requirements
Open splice
Any parting at any junction
of tread, sidewall, or inner-
liner that extends to cord
material
Outer diam-
eterThe overall diameter of an
inflated new tire
Overall
width
The linear distance between
the exteriors of the sidewalls
of an inflated tire, including
elevations due to labeling,
decorations, or protective
bands or ribs
Passenger
car tire
A tire intended for use on
passenger cars, multipur-
pose passenger vehicles,
and trucks, that have a gross
vehicle weight rating
(GVWR) of 10,000 lb. or
less.
PlyA layer of rubber-coated
parallel cords
Ply separa-
tionA parting of rubber com-
pound between adjacent
plies
Tire related termMeaning
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4198-1. Specifications
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Vehicle specifications
*:Table 1 Occupant loading and distri-
bution for vehicle normal load for vari-
ous designated seating capacities
Pneumatic
tire
A mechanical device made
of rubber, chemicals, fabric
and steel or other materials,
that, when mounted on an
automotive wheel, provides
the traction and contains
the gas or fluid that sustains
the load
Radial ply
tire
A pneumatic tire in which
the ply cords that extend to
the beads are laid at sub-
stantially 90 degrees to the
centerline of the tread
Reinforced
tire
A tire designed to operate
at higher loads and at
higher inflation pressures
than the corresponding
standard tire
Section
width
The linear distance between
the exteriors of the sidewalls
of an inflated tire, excluding
elevations due to labeling,
decoration, or protective
bands
SidewallThat portion of a tire
between the tread and bead
Sidewall sep-
arationThe parting of the rubber
compound from the cord
material in the sidewall
Tire related termMeaning
Snow tire
A tire that attains a traction
index equal to or greater
than 110, compared to the
ASTM E-1136 Standard
Reference Test Tire, when
using the snow traction test
as described in ASTM F-
1805-00, Standard Test
Method for Single Wheel
Driving Traction in a
Straight Line on Snow-and
Ice-Covered Surfaces, and
which is marked with an
Alpine Symbol ( ) on at
least one sidewall
Test rim
The rim on which a tire is fit-
ted for testing, and may be
any rim listed as appropri-
ate for use with that tire
Tread
That portion of a tire that
comes into contact with the
road
Tread ribA tread section running cir-
cumferentially around a tire
Tread sepa-
rationPulling away of the tread
from the tire carcass
Treadwear
indicators
(TWI)
The projections within the
principal grooves designed
to give a visual indication of
the degrees of wear of the
tread
Wheel-hold-
ing fixtureThe fixture used to hold the
wheel and tire assembly
securely during testing
Tire related termMeaning