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VEHICLE CARE
B
TIN (Tire Identification Number):
Example
DOT XXXX XXXX XXXX
1 2 3 3 5 6
1. Indicates that the tire complies with
the US Department of Transport
safety standards.
2. One letter and one digit identifying
tire manufacturer and plant code.
3. Two letter designation for tire size.
4. Four letter designation for additional
information about the tire (brand,
characteristics etc).
5. Two digits displaying the week of the
year of tire manufacture.
6. Two digits displaying the year of tire
manufacture.
C
Tube or tubeless type tire:
Indicates if an inner tube is
required to inflate the tire.
D
Tire structure: Indicates that the
tire has a radial structure.
E
Maximum load rating: Displays
maximum load that can be
supported by the tire.
F
Maximum pressure rating:
Displays maximum load that can
be supported by the tire.
G
Tire composition and material:
Displays the number of plies in
the tire tread and sidewall and the
materials used.
H
Uniform Tire Quality Grading;
This is described in the following
information.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
The following information relates to
the system developed by the United
States National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, which grades tires by
treadwear, traction and temperature
performance. The grades are moulded
on the sidewalls of most passenger car
tires between the tread shoulder and
maximum section width. For example:
Treadwear 180 Traction AA
Temperature A
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative
rating based on the wear rate of the
tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified government
test course. For example, a tire graded
150 would wear one and one-half
(11/2) times as well on the government
course as a tire graded 100. The
relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use,
however, and may depart significantly
from the norm due to variations in
driving habits, service practices and
differences in road characteristics and
climate.
Traction
The traction grades, from highest
to lowest, are AA, A, B, and C. Those
grades represent the tire’s ability to
stop on wet pavement as measured
under controlled conditions on
specified government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C
may have poor traction performance.
The traction grade assigned to this
tire is based on straight-ahead braking
traction tests, and does not include
acceleration, cornering, hydroplaning,
or peak traction characteristics.
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