What Size Tires Does My Car Need?

No one wishes to understand the language of tires, except mechanics. The average individual just views the label located on the side of the tires which are already on the vehicle when he requires new tires. Then he could compare the name with the other tires in the price range and make his pick. If you really understand nothing concerning tires or do not know what the label located on the side of the existing tires states, then you will never know, will you?

When you view a regular label on a tire, it’ll look something such as this: “P175/50R 14 80Z”. The small letters have lots of data, if you understand what you are required to do to decipher it. If you don’t have a clue about knowing tire sizes, the following data will guide you.

1) On all tire labels, the 1st letter states what kind of car should be utilizing the tire. Within the label above, the tire’s needed for a passenger vehicle. This is the breakdown: “P” stands for passenger vehicles, “LT” stands for light truck, as well as “T” being utilized to assign your temporary, or spare, tire. The following number immediately after the 1st letter is the width of the tire expressed in millimeters. Then, 175 will mean that the tire example is 175 mm wide.

2) Following the 1st number in the label is a slash, then a 2nd number. This 2nd number will tell the ratio of the width and the height. The tire possesses a height of fifty percent of the width. Generally, performance tires will have a lower ratio of height to width.

3) The letter that follows the ratio of width to height tells the tire type. In the sample, the “R” is for radial.

4) After the indicator type is the number that tells how much the tire could carry, its load index. Within the sample tire, it’s 80. If you consult the Maximum Load-Carrying Capacity chart for the number, as it’s indicated on the tire, it would tell you just how much 4 tires that have the exact capacity could carry safely.

5) The final sign on the label tells how fast the tire is rated for. The sample tire has a rating of “Z”, which will mean that it’s rated for a speed beyond 150 mph. The other ratings include “S”, that goes up to 112 mph, “H”, for speeds to 130 mph, and “V”, for up to150 mph. It’s important that you follow these directions and not go any faster than the tires are rated, because while raising your speed, you will raise the friction. Friction will heat up the tires, and if the tires get overheated, the treads could come undone from the belts, which isn’t good. Speed ratings will let you understand just how rapid you could go without risking your life. These ideas are the most fundamental things you will be required to understand about which tires would fit onto your vehicles.