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Ed Malle
Ed Malle is the owner and operator of Malle Service in Pittsburg Kansas. Malles Service has been a part of the Pittsburg community for generations. For more information please call 620-231-3440.
Automotive Service & Repair
2011-10-20 11:59:26
Numbers on tires
Q: Okay, so in high school I didn’t take automotive class. Can you tell me what all the numbers mean on tires so I know that what I am buying is best for my car?
A: No problem. I can get you up to speed. Actually, most people just match up the numbers from the last set of tires to buy new ones, but not knowing what those numbers mean may be missing out on getting tires that are better for certain weather conditions or give you a smoother ride. Let’s run through the basics. A typical car tire label reads something like this “P185/60R 14 82H.” In this little tire label “sentence” there is a wealth of information. The first letter on the tire label (in this case, P) indicates what type of vehicle the tire is intended for: P is for passenger car, LT is for light truck, and T is for your temporary or spare tire. Next, the first set of numbers, 185 in our example, is the section width of the tire in millimeters. Shorter or narrower tires have lower numbers. The numbers after the slash express the tire’s aspect ratio, which is translated as the section height as percentage of the section width. In this case the height is 60 percent of its width. Performance tires would have a lower number in this space. “R” indicates that the tire is a Radial tire, as most are. Following the “R” you’ll see another number. This number, here a 14, is the rim diameter in inches. The next set of numbers stand for the tire’s load index. The maximum load capacity if found on the Maximum Load-Carrying Capacity chart and determined by the load capacity of a set of four tires. The last letter indicates the speeds which the tires was designed to withstand: S for up to 112 mph, H for up to 130 mph, V for up to 150 mph, Z for 150 mph +. At high speeds, the tire can get very hot and the tread can separate from the belts. The speed ratings tell you how fast you can go and still be safe.
 
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