Each car owner is faced with a situation when it is necessary to choose new tires or wheels. In this case, tire marking will help you find your way. Thanks to this, the buyer will be able to easily understand the parameters of the wheels and tires, as well as choose the most suitable tires for your requirements.
To get started, it is recommended that you carefully read the user manual, which will indicate the tire and wheel markings, which are recommended by the manufacturer. It should also be noted that the manual often indicates several recommended markings that can be used at the discretion of the car owner, depending on the following criteria:
- Mounted disc material: aluminum or iron. This criterion is taken into account, based on the condition that aluminum discs have a slightly larger width and radius.
- Season of operation: winter or summer time.
- The type of engine of your car and its power.
Of course, you can look at the wheels already installed on the machine. However, it must be borne in mind that tire markings may not be suitable for the comfortable use of your car. In this regard, many stores, including online resources, provide services for the selection of optimal tires.
For an example of designations we will consider a standard size.
205/55 R16 94 N (tire marking)
Decryption begins with the first number, which indicates the width of the tire in millimeters. The second digit shows the ratio of the height of the existing profile to the width of the tire. This indicator is often referred to as a “profile”. If we consider the case when there are two or more tires with the same data on their width, but with different profile values, we can observe a pattern: the higher the profile height, the higher, in the literal sense of the word, the tire becomes.
Based on the fact that this parameter is a relative value, when choosing rubber, it should be remembered that if the selection is incorrect, not only the width of the tire in question will change, but also its height, which in many cases is simply unacceptable. If the tire marking does not provide information about this parameter, by default it is accepted from 80% to 82%, and the tire is called full-profile. A similar type is used in light trucks and vans.
Tire marking also includes the letter “R”, which is responsible for designating a radial tire.
The number behind is the tire diameter given in inches. This value represents the so-called tire diameter.
The symbol "H" at the end of the designation is responsible for the permissible index of speed that a car with these tires can develop.
Often tire markings include color marks: yellow, red, etc. They show the places with the smallest and greatest load on the wheel.
The tire may be marked in the form of a white stamp with a number that corresponds to the number of the inspector who conducted the final inspection of the tire at the factory. Whole strips are applied for quick and easy product searches in the manufacturer’s warehouses.