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Tire Specs Meaning

The document provides a guide to understanding tire specifications and selecting the appropriate tires. It explains that tire specs like P185/60HR14 indicate: 1) the vehicle type (P for passenger), 2) tire width in mm, 3) aspect ratio of sidewall height to width, 4) maximum speed rating (H for 130 mph), 5) radial ply construction (R), and 6) rim diameter in inches. Additional numbers may indicate load index, with higher numbers indicating greater load capacity. The document states it will provide more details on tire types and their advantages in a subsequent post to help people select tires suited to their needs.

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90 views2 pages

Tire Specs Meaning

The document provides a guide to understanding tire specifications and selecting the appropriate tires. It explains that tire specs like P185/60HR14 indicate: 1) the vehicle type (P for passenger), 2) tire width in mm, 3) aspect ratio of sidewall height to width, 4) maximum speed rating (H for 130 mph), 5) radial ply construction (R), and 6) rim diameter in inches. Additional numbers may indicate load index, with higher numbers indicating greater load capacity. The document states it will provide more details on tire types and their advantages in a subsequent post to help people select tires suited to their needs.

Uploaded by

francy_raj
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Dont buy tires before you read this

Ever wondered what do the numbers like P185/60HR14 on your car tires mean? If you are not sure, you are not alone. In a recent survey 78% of people did not know what their tire spec number meant. A whopping 93% did not know the disadvantages of Performance All Season Tires over regular All Season Tires. So here is a comprehensive guide on how to select the perfect tires for your auto.

Tire Selection Guide: What Everybody Ought to Know About


Lets start with the Tire number system. A typical tire number looks like: P185/60HR14. Here is how to decode it.

1. The first spot represents the type of vehicle. P for passenger cars and LT for light trucks and SUVs 2. The second spot number(185 in this example) is the tire cross-section width in millimeters 3. The third spot (60 in this example) is the aspect ratio: The tire sidewall height to the cross-section width. For a smoother ride, choose this number to be bigger. A smaller number here gives a crisper handling. 4. The fourth spot is the max speed rating o H = 130 miles per hour o Q = 99 miles per hour o S = 112 miles per hour o T = 118 miles per hour o v = 149 miles per hour o Z = 150 miles per hour 5. R in the fifth spot means that its a radial-ply tire. Other choices here are D (diagonal) or B (belted bias). If this spot has no letter at all, it means that it is a radial-ply tire. 6. And the final number is the diameter of the tire hole in inches. A point to note that this is NOT the outer diameter. So if you were looking for a rim/wheel to fit on a 14 tire, you would pick the rim/wheel to be 14 as well. 7. Sometimes, there is an additional number at the end. (E.g. P185/60HR14 89). This last number represents a load index. The bigger this number, the more the load the tire can safely carry. When replacing your tire, make sure that the new tire has at least the same load index as what you had before. PS: Some tire company use a slightly different format: Instead of P185/60HR14 89, they write P185/60R14 89H.

So there you have it Now you can buy tires like a pro! In the next blog, I will describe various type of tires, and explain advantages and disadvantages for each so that you can pick the perfect tires to fit your needs.

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