.,.,___ T_ i_re_ s_a_n_d_ w_ h_ e_e_ls _________________________________________________ _
Sidewall
means that portion of a tire between the tread and bead.
Speed rating (letter code)
means the speed at which a tire is designed to be driven for extended
periods of time. The rat ings range from 93 mph (150 km/h) to 186
mph (298 km/h) =>
page 209 . You may not find this information on
all tires because it is not required by law .
The speed rating letter code, where applicab le, is mo lded on the tire
sidewall and ind icates the maximum permiss ible road speeds=>
& in
"Winter tires" on
page 212.
Tire pressure monitoring system
means a system that detects when one or more of a vehicle's tires are
unde rinflated and illuminates a low tire p ressu re warn ing te llt ale.
Tread
means that portion of a tire that comes into contact with the road.
Tread separation
means pulling away of the tread from the tire carcass.
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
means the projections within the pr incipal grooves des igned to give a
visual ind ication of the degrees of wear of the tread . See =>
page 207,
"Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)" for more information on measuring
tire wear.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
is a tire informat ion system deve loped by the United States National
Highway Traff ic Safety Adm inistration (NHTSA) that is designed to
help buye rs m ak e relat ive comparisons among t ires. The UTQG is not
a safety rating and not a guarantee that a tire will last for a prescribed
number of miles or perform in a certain way. It simp ly gives tire
buyers additional information to comb ine with other considerations,
such as price, brand loyalty and dealer recommendations. Under
UTQG, tires are graded by the tire manufacturers in three areas:
treadwear, traction and temperature resistance . The UTQG informa-
tion on t he tires, molded int o th e sidewa lls.
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN)
This is the tire 's "ser ial number" It begins w ith the lette rs "DOT" and
ind icates that the t ire meets all federal standards. The next two
numbers or lette rs ind icate the plan t where it was manufa ctur ed, and
the last four numbers represent the week and year of manufacture.
For examp le,
DOT ... 2210 ...
means that the tire was produced in the 22nd week of 2010. The
other numbers are marketing codes that may or may not be used by
the t ire manufacturer. Th is informat io n is used to contact consumers
if a t ire defec t requ ires a reca ll.
Vehicle capacity weight
means the rated cargo and luggage load plus 150 lbs. (68 kilograms)
times the vehicle 's total seating capac ity as listed on the label located
on the driver 's side B-pillar.
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
means that load on an individua l tire that is determined by distrib-
uting to each axle its share of the max imum loaded vehicle weight
and divid ing by two.
Vehicle normal load on the tire
means that load on an individua l tire that is determined by distrib-
uting to each axle its share of the curb weight, accessory weight, and
normal oc cup an t we ight (d istr ibuted in accordance with table be low
=>
page 201) and dividing by two. .,_
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