Multi-colored labels on tires: types and purpose
Content
Almost all new tires have labels in various colors. Some people just don't pay attention to them. Others, on the contrary, attach great importance to such marks. Few people know what the colored markings really mean. Let's try to figure out and understand which of the existing versions are myths and which are reality.
What marks are found on tires and what do they mean
There are several basic versions that explain the origin of the color marks on new tires. Some people think that these are technological tags that the consumer should not be interested in. Others are sure that this is the designation for defective products or that did not pass quality control. Let's figure out which of them is right.
If you think logically, then you can come to the conclusion: making marks with paint, the manufacturer understands that during operation they will quickly be erased. Therefore, the information conveyed by the colored marks on the tires has a temporary meaning and is important until the first tire fitting.
Most often, the manufacturer applies small round dots with a diameter of 10-15 mm on the side surface of the tire. Their color is usually white, yellow or red. There can be triangles instead of points, but they have the same meaning.
Yellow mark
The place in which a round or triangular yellow mark is applied to the side of the tire is the weakest and least protected.
This information is important when performing a busbar installation. The disc has an L-shaped symbol indicating the weakest point on the disc. Correct tire position implies placing the mark on the rim on the opposite side of the yellow dot on the tire. The yellow mark is combined with the heaviest place on the disk, i.e. the nipple. This is done so that in the event of a strong impact, simultaneous damage to the tire and disk does not occur.
Red label
If the yellow mark indicates the weakest point on the tire, then the red mark is, on the contrary, the most durable. Scientifically speaking, it is applied at the location of the maximum radial force deviation (RFV). During installation, place a red mark next to the L-shaped mark on the disc.
To understand why weak and strong spots are formed on a tire, it must be borne in mind that the process of its creation is complex and time consuming. To obtain the most ideal shape, the tire is made of several layers.
Very rarely, the red mark is not opposite the yellow one. When installing tires, it is important that the yellow mark is located as far as possible from the weakest point on the rim.
White mark
The side of the tire can be painted white dot or dotted. Do it in the most flexible place. The white mark indicates where the radial force deflection will be the smallest.
Not always on the tire there are yellow and white marks at the same time, but you need to consider that they mean about the same thing. When carrying out the installation, it is necessary to rely precisely on the location of the yellow dot, but if it is not there, we place the white mark at 180о from the letter L.
Stamp with numbers inside
If in the previous cases the color of the marks mattered, then the stamp can be of any color. There are yellow, blue, white stamps, this does not affect the information they carry.
The value is not the color, but the number that is written inside. Such a mark indicates that the tire has been tested at the factory and corresponds to the declared quality, and the number indicates the inspector who conducts this test. For an ordinary consumer, such information may be needed only if a marriage is detected. With the help of a stamp, it will be possible to find a person who missed the sale of a defective product.
Multicolored stripes
The tire can be marked with stripes of different colors. They are necessary to simplify the search for tires in the warehouse. Since the tires are stored vertically, the strips help the workers in the manufacturer's warehouse to distinguish, the date of manufacture and other information, without removing them from the rack.
For the buyer, such marking does not carry any information and when choosing tires, one should not pay attention to it.
Video: what do the marks on the tires mean
Comments from amateurs and experts
The color marking during the operation of the tire will certainly be erased. Therefore, any marks applied with paint have a temporary purpose, some of them are purely technological, necessary for the convenience of the manufacturer or dealer (seller). For the consumer, colored labels have practically no meaning. - Colored lines are applied around the circumference of the tire, near the tread, or directly on it. This is not a defective tire marker at all, as “experts” sometimes claim. These lines are only needed for quick identification of tire models in warehouses. The fact is that the storekeeper often sees only the protector, and cannot read the inscription on the sidewall. - Colored circles (yellow, white, green, red, other colors) with a diameter of approximately 10 mm or less are found on the outer side of the tire, near the rim. The yellow circle is usually placed in the lightest part of the tire. When mounting, it makes sense to combine the circle with the nipple so that fewer weights are required when balancing. In fact, this weight difference is negligible and can be ignored. The red circle means the heaviest part of the tire. However, by and large, the colored circles of different tire manufacturers have different meanings. For example, such a label may mean that the tire is delivered to the assembly line of a car factory, and not to retail. Or vice versa. Finally, there is such an icon: A number in a triangle, or in a rhombus, circle, etc. any color. It's just an OTC stamp, needed for the internal needs of a tire company. If it is not there, it does not mean anything, it could have been removed.
Colored stripes applied around the circumference of the tire in the tread area, or on the tread itself or inside the grooves serve to make it easier to find tires in the warehouse - so as not to twist the tire in your hands and not read the sidewall - just look at the running tire, and this is how the tire is visible in 98 % of cases, and determine the size by colors.
The heaviest place on the tire is marked with a red dot, the yellow one is the lightest, respectively, so it must be combined with the valve, in theory where the valve is there is the heaviest place on the rim, but as practice shows, the desired often differs from the fact. Many balancing machines have a special program for minimizing loads, but at tire fitting shops, the masters do not want to bother with this topic, the main reason is the client’s lack of desire to pay for this work.
After examining the available information, we can conclude that colored marks on the tires can help with their installation. For car enthusiasts, such marking does not really matter. It can be useful if a person installs new tires on his own, but now very few people do it.
