Every tire sold for highway use in the U.S. has a coded description molded into the sidewall. This provides a significant amount of information about the purpose, dimensions, load capacity, temperature and durability of the tire.
This coded description is broken into the following parts:
Service Type
Section Width
Sidewall Aspect Ratio
Wheel Diameter
Service Description (Load and Speed)
Understanding each of these elements will help make you an informed and safe tire consumer. Before you replace the tires on your car, minivan or truck understand the code. You will avoid being sold more tire than you need, and more importantly can avoid buying less tire than you need, which can be dangerous.
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