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249Car care
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 partic-
ular tire´s width, height, aspect ratio, con-
struction 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 the performance factors:
treadwear, traction and temperature resis-
tance. For more information see “Uniform
Tire Quality Grading” on page 245.
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 “Recommended lowest tire pres-
sure, cold tires” on page 292 and “” on
page 251.
Tire Size
The following illustration shows an example
of a typical passenger car tire size.
Tire Width: The three-digit number indi-
cates the tire section width in millimeters
from sidewall to sidewall.
215 / 55 R 16 93 H
||||||
abcdef
aTire Width
b Aspect Ratio
c Belt Rating
d Rim diameter
e Load range
f Speed rating
93_U S_M 07.book Page 249 W ednesday, April 12, 2006 9:30 AM