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224 Car care and technical information
Tire Sidewall Labeling
Useful information about a tire is molded
into it´s sidewall.
Tire size:
The tire size ia a combination of
letters and numbers used to define a parti-
cular tire´s width, height, aspect ratio, cons-
truction type and service description.
Department of Transportation (DOT):
The Department of Transportation (DOT)
code indicates that the tire is in compliance
with the U.S. Department of Transportation
Motor Vehicle Safety standards.
Tire Identification Number (TIN):
The let-
ters and numbers following DOT code are
the Tire Identification Number (TIN). The
TIN shows the manufacturer and plant
code, tire size, and date the tire was manu-
factured. The TIN is molded onto both sides
of the tire.
Tire Ply Material:
The type of cord and
number of plies in the sidewall and under
the tread.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading (UTQG):
Tire manufacturers are required to grade
tires based on performance factors:
treadwear, traction and temperature resis-
tance. For more information see “Uniform
Tire Quality Grading” on page 221.
Maximum Cold Inflation Load Limit:
Max-
imum load that can be carried and the max-
imum pressure needed to support that load.
For information on recommended tire pres-
sure see “Lowest recommended tire pres-
sure, cold tires” on page 261and “Loading
Your Vehicle” on page 226.
Tire Size
The following illustration shows an example
of a typical passenger car tire size.
Tire Width:
The three-digit number indica-
tes the tire section width in millimeters from
sidewall to sidewall.
215
/
55 R 16 93 H
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abcdef
aTire Width
b Aspect Ratio
c Belt Rating
d Rim diameter
e Load range
f Speed rating