(B) Tire Ply Material: The type of cord and
number of plies in the sidewall and under
the tread.
(C) Tire Identification Number (TIN): The letters
and numbers following the DOT (Department of
Transportation) code is the Tire Identification
Number (TIN). The TIN shows the manufacturer
and plant code, tire size, and date the tire
was manufactured. The TIN is molded onto both
sides of the tire, although only one side may have
the date of manufacture.
(D) Maximum Cold Inflation Load Limit:
Maximum load that can be carried and the
maximum pressure needed to support that load.
(E) Tire Inflation: The temporary use tire or
compact spare tire should be inflated to 60 psi
(420 kPa). For more information on tire pressure
and inflation see Inflation - Tire Pressure on
page 325.
(F) Tire Size: A combination of letters and
numbers define a tire’s width, height, aspect ratio,
construction type and service description. The
letter T as the first character in the tire size means
the tire is for temporary use only.
(G) TPC Spec (Tire Performance Criteria
Specification): Original equipment tires designed
to GM’s specific tire performance criteria have
a TPC specification code molded onto the sidewall.
GM’s TPC specifications meet or exceed all
federal safety guidelines.
Tire Size
The following illustration shows an example of a
typical passenger vehicle tire size.
(A) Passenger (P-Metric) Tire: The United
States version of a metric tire sizing system. The
letter P as the first character in the tire size
means a passenger vehicle tire engineered to
standards set by the U.S. Tire and Rim
Association. A tire size without the letter P as the
first character is certified to European standards.
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