What does marking on tires mean?
Disks, tires, wheels,  Car device

What does marking on tires mean?

The marking of a car tire can tell a lot about it: about the tire model, its dimension and speed index, as well as about the country of manufacture and the date of tire production. Knowing these and other parameters, you can safely purchase tires without fear of making a mistake with their choice. But there are so many designations on the bus that you need to be able to decode them correctly. These designations, as well as color marks and stripes on the tire, will be discussed in the article.

Tire marking and decoding of their designations

The tire designations are marked on the side of the tire by the manufacturer. In this case, the marking is present on all tires. And it complies with the international standard, which is generally accepted. The following inscriptions are used on tires:

  • information about the manufacturer;
  • dimension and design of the tire;
  • speed index and tire load index;
  • additional information.

Consider the marking of tires for passenger cars and their decoding using each parameter as an example.

Manufacturer data

The tire must contain information about the country of manufacture, the manufacturer or brand name, the date of manufacture, as well as the model name.

Tire size and design

The dimension on tires can be marked as follows: 195/65 R15, where:

  • 195 - the width of the profile, expressed in millimeters;
  • 65 - section height, indicated as a percentage relative to the width of the tire section;
  • 15 is the diameter of the rim, expressed in inches and measured from one inner edge of the tire to the other;
  • R is a letter designating the type of tire construction, in this case radial.

The radial design is characterized by the cords running from bead to bead. In the case of the location of the latter at an angle, i.e. when one layer of threads goes in one direction, and the other in the opposite direction, the design will be of a diagonal type. This type is designated by the letter D or has no designation at all. The letter B speaks of a diagonal encircling construction.

Speed ​​Index and Tire Load Index

The tire speed index is indicated in Latin letters and indicates the maximum speed that the tire can withstand. The table shows the values ​​of the indices corresponding to a particular speed.

Speed ​​indexfull speed
J100 km / h
K110 km / h
L120 km / h
M130 km / h
N140 km / h
P150 km / h
Q160 km / h
R170 km / h
S180 km / h
T190 km / h
U200 km / h
H210 km / h
V240 km / h
VR> 210 km / h
W270 km / h
Y300 km / h
ZR> 240 km / h

The tire load index is indicated by numbers, each of which has its own numerical value. The higher it is, the more load the tire can handle. The tire load index should be multiplied by 4, since the load is indicated for only one tire in the vehicle. The decoding of tire marking for this indicator is presented by indices ranging from 60 to 129. The maximum load in this range ranges from 250 to 1850 kg.

additional information

There are other indicators that indicate a particular characteristic of the tire and may not be applied to all tires. These include:

  1. Tubular and tubeless tire markings. It is designated TT and TL, respectively.
  2. The designation of the sides on which the tires are installed. If there is a strict rule for installing tires only on the right or left side, then the designations Right and Left are applied to them, respectively. For tires with an asymmetric tread pattern, the Outside and Inside lettering is used. In the first case, the sidewall must be installed from the outside, and in the second, it is installed inside.
  3. Marking for all-season and winter tires. If the tires are marked as "M + S" or "M&S", then they are designed for use in winter or in muddy conditions. All-season tires are labeled “All Season”. The snowflake pattern indicates the limitation of the use of tires only in winter.
  4. Interestingly, the release date is indicated - with three digits, which mean the week number (first digit) and the year of release.
  5. The thermal resistance of a car tire at high speeds is determined by three classes: A, B and C - from high to low values. The braking ability of a tire on wet roads is referred to as “Traction” and also has three classes. And the degree of grip on the road has 4 classes: from the best to the worst.
  6. The aquaplaning indicator is another curious indicator, indicated on the tread by the umbrella or drop icon. Tires with this pattern are designed for driving in rainy weather. And the indicator shows to what residual tread depth the tire will not lose contact with the road due to the appearance of a layer of water between them.

Colored marks and stripes on the bus: necessity and significance

Colored dots and stripes can often be seen on tires. As a rule, these designations are proprietary information of the manufacturer and do not affect the quality and price of the product.

Multicolored labels

Multi-colored labels are auxiliary information for tire workers. Recommendations on the presence of a balancing mark that allows assembling a wheel with a decrease in the size of the balancing weights are contained in the regulatory documents. The marks are applied to the side surface of the tire.

The following points are distinguished:

  • yellow - denote the lightest place on the tire, which during installation should coincide with the heaviest place on the disk; a yellow point or a triangle can act as a designation;
  • red - denote the area where the connection of different layers of the tire occurs - this is the heaviest area of ​​the sidewall of the tire; applied to rubber;
  • white - these are marks in the form of a circle, triangle, square or rhombus with a number inside; the color indicates that the product has passed quality control, and the number is the number of the inspector who accepted the product.

When using tires, drivers only need to pay attention to the yellow markings. Opposite them during installation, a nipple should be placed.

Colored stripes

The colored lines on the tires are essential for quick identification of the model and size of a particular tire stored in stacks in the warehouse. Information is also required by the manufacturer.

The color of the stripes, their thickness and their location depends on the country of origin, production date and other factors.

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