Vehicle care and maintenance
7-25
7
● Rim: a metal support for a tire or a tire and tube assembly
upon which the tire beads are seated.
● Rim diameter: nominal diameter of the bead seat.
● Groove: the space between two adjacent tread ribs.
Tire Markings
Size Designation
EXAMPLE: P215/65R15
OTE
● European/Japanese metric tire sizing is based on Euro-
pean/Japanese design standards. Tires designed to these
standards have the tire size molded into the sidewall
beginning with the section width. The letter “P” is
absent from this tire size designation. Example:
215/65R15 96H.
● LT (Light Truck) -metric tire sizing is based on U.S.A.
design standards. The size designation for LT-metric
tires is the same as for P-metric tires except for the let-
ters “LT” that are molded into the sidewall preceding
the size designation. Example: LT235/85R16.
● Temporary spare tires are high pressure compact spares
designed for temporary emergency use only. Tires
designed to this standard have the letter “T” molded
into the sidewall preceding the size designation. Exam-
ple: T145/80D18 103M.
P
Passenger car tire size based on U.S.A. design
standards
215 Section width in millimeters (mm)
65
Aspect ratio in percent (%)
Ratio of section height to section width of tire.
R
Construction code
• “R” means radial construction.
• “D” means diagonal or bias construction.
15 Rim diameter in inches (in)
BK0150600US.book 25 ページ 2012年3月30日 金曜日 午前10時43分