Owing a car is a big dream for most of the people. So before keeping a car in your garage, you have to learn about its each and every parts. Car tires can express you a lot about itself but few people know about it. One of the most important parts of a car is its tyre. If you are wondering how to read tyre codes, then lets see an example: P 240/45 R 20 99Y that is moulded on the sidewall of a tyre.
Service Description
The service description is not always moulded on the Bridgestone Tyres. But knowing of this meaning is important. The Alphabet “P” refers to passenger car, “LT” for Light Truck, “ST” for Special Trailer, and “T” for Temporary.
Section Width
The number on the tyre starts with the section width. The larger number means the tyre will be wider. This number is measured in millimeters.
Aspect Ratio
Lets start with an example to understand the Aspect Ratio. This number stands after Section Width number. If there is a number on the tyre like 245/40, then it means that the hight of the sidewall tyre is 245 x 40%= 98mm where 245 is the section width number.
(R) Construction Code
The “R” indicates the tyre is manufactured with radial ply construction. The most of the cars came up with bias-ply tyres.
Rim Diameter
This is one of the most important number. It is measured from the wheel flange to the same point on the opposite side where the tyre is sized.
Load Index
The Load Index number is showed how much weight a tyre can carry when a vehicle is at its maximum speed.
Speed Index
The speed index or speed rating is appeared for a letter. The letter indicates how much a tyre can run for an extended time. If a tyre is marked with an alphabet ‘Y’, it indicates that this tyre can be safely run at up to 300kph.
When asking how to read tyre codes, then this is one of the most considering numbers on your tyre. To find out the meaning of the “99”, you must see a Load-Carrying Capacity Per Tire chart online. But your car must have properly inflated. Ninety-Nine indicates each tyre can load 1585 lbs. So the total weight of the four tyre is 6340. On some car’s sidewall, there is “XL” symbol but don’t get wrong with it. This means it has an extra loaded capacity tyre but doesn’t mean an extra-large tyre.
DOT Code
Department of Transportation (DOT) is used to track tyre production for withdrawal purposes. The end of the DOT code points out the manufacturing date of the tyre. The first two digits indicate the week; the other two indicates the year. If your tyre have a number, for example “1714”, means that it is manufactured on the 17th week of 2014.
If you are wondering how to read tyre codes if your tyre has five digits. For example, if your tyre is marked with “116”, it indicates that the tyre was manufactured on the 11th week of the six-year of the decades. But there are fewer possibilities to find out aged tyre.
Maximum Air Pressure
The last but most important code should be learned. It refers to the capacity of the air pressure that can have in the tyre without any risk. If your tyre has over-inflated, your car’s tyre will lose its shape by excessive air pressure. There are many possibilities to burst your tyre while driving.
