Tire Information

How to know the age of the tire?
What is the year of manufacture of my tire? How to read the DOT?

To find out the age or manufacturing date of your tire, you have to read the DOT code stamped on it. DOT=Department of Transportation, informs that the tire complies with US DOT regulations. The code starts with the letters DOT followed by two letters and the number representing the factory where it was produced. Then there are three or four numbers depending on when it was produced:

Tires produced after the year 2000 have a DOT of four numbers, the first two numbers represent the week (remember there are 52 weeks in a year) it was produced and the last two represent the year.

Example: DOT AX 3003
30 is the 30th week of the year. 03 is the year 2003.
Tires before the year 2000 have only 1 digit for the year.

Example: DOT AX 148
14 is the 14th week of the year. 8 is the year 1998

How do I know if my tire is symmetrical or asymmetrical?

To know if the tire has a symmetrical or asymmetrical design, it is easy, just create an imaginary line in the middle of the tread. If the tire is symmetrical, the design will be the same on both sides of the imaginary line, in turn, if the design is not the same, the tire will be asymmetrical.

How do I know in which country my Tire was produced?

All tires must indicate the country where they were produced. On imported tires, the data is normally in English. A tire made in Japan: Made in Japan, if it was made in South Korea: Made in South Korea.

How to read the tire size?

The common measurement in most tires in the world is to present the width, profile and rim.

Example: 175/70R13

175 represents the width of the tire in millimeters, 70 means the height of the tire wall and 70% of the width, so the height would be 122.5 and 13 is the inner diameter of the tire, in this case 13 inches. It is also used to identify which wheel size (in inches) fits that tire. The letter R in the measurement, means that the tire has a radial construction.

How to read measurements with "X" in the measurement? What does the "X" in the tire size mean? Is it in inches?

Yes, these measurements are in inches.

Example: 31x10.5R15

31 is the total tire diameter, 10.5 is the tire width and 15 is the wheel diameter. The letter R means the tire has Radial construction.

What is treadwear number?

This number can vary from 60 to 700, and the higher the number, the higher the mileage will be on the tire. For example, a Treadwear 400 tire should yield twice as much as a Treadwear 200 tire. It is worth remembering that a tire that lasts longer is not always a better tire, because a soft tire that has more grip may last less, but offer better cornering and braking performance.

What are the lyrics to "Traction" written on the Pneu? What does Traction mean?

It is an index based on the tire's ability to stop a car on wet asphalt or concrete. It has nothing to do with the tire's ability to turn. There are four traction categories, AA, A, B and C, AA being the highest and C the lowest.

What do the letters "Temperature" written on the Tire mean?

The temperature index written on the tire indicates the tire's ability to dissipate heat and how it handles heat buildup. There are three possible indices: A, B and C, A being the best and C the worst. The index only applies to tires correctly inflated according to the pressure value described in the car manual. Inflation, speeding or excess weight causes the tire to heat up more quickly, causing it to wear out prematurely and possibly causing failure in performance.

What is my tire's maximum speed? How do I know the maximum speed of my tire? How to read speed letters on my penu?

To find the maximum speed that you can drive with your tire, you can consult the table where you find all the indexes and respective speeds. You will find one of these letters stamped on your tire after the measurement. Example: in size 215/45R17 100Y, Y is the letter that designates the tire's maximum speed, in this case Y represents 300 km/h in the table.

What is the maximum weight my tire can support? Tire weight index? How to read weight index?

To find out the maximum weight your tire can support, you can also check the load index table. You will find one of these numbers stamped on your tire after the measurement. Example: in size 205/70R16 112S, 112 is the number that designates the maximum weight per tire, in this case 112 represents 1120kg.

How to know if the tire comes with white letters or white wall? I'm on the manufacturer's website, how do I know if the tire size I want has white letters?

In the manufacturer's measurement list, the next letters will appear, see what each one means:

Tire Type with White Letters: OWL: Outlined White Letters, RWL: Raised White Letters, ROWL: Raised Outlined White Letters, ORWL: Outline Raised White Letters, WO: Outlined White Letters

Tire type with black letters: RBL: Raised Black Letters, OBL: Outlined Black Letters, BL: Black Letters

White Wall Tire: WSW: White Side Wall

Black Wall Tire: BSW: Black Side Wall

What raw materials are used in a tire?

- Natural rubber, or polyisoprene is the base used in tires making elastomer
- Styrene-butadiene co-polymer (SBR) is a synthetic rubber that is often replaced by natural rubber, in part based on comparative raw material costs
- Polybutadiene is used in combination with other rubbers due to its properties and low heat build-up
- Halobutyl rubber is used for the inner lining of tubeless tires due to its low air permeability. Halogens provide a bond to the housing which are essentially composed of natural rubber. Bromobutyl is superior to chlorobutyl but more expensive
- Carbon Black constitutes a high percentage of rubber compounds. This gives reinforcement and abrasion resistance.
- Silica, used in conjunction with Carbon Black in high performance tires as a low heat build-up booster
- Sulfur joins rubber molecules in the vulcanization process - Accelerators are complex organic compounds that accelerate vulcanization
- Activators assist vulcanization. The main one is zinc oxide.
- Antioxidants and anti-skinning flanks prevent cracking due to the action of sunlight and ozone
- Textile fabric reinforces the tire casing.

How many years does a tire last? Tire life? What is the lifespan of a tire?

This is a very difficult question to answer, as it depends on many variables such as the brand, model, size, in addition to the conditions of use of the tire. The tracks in Brazil are not very good, making the tires last less than in countries like the United States and European countries. Durability also depends on the vehicle's maintenance conditions, correct calibration and the treadwear index of that model, so each tire has a very different durability compared to others.

What are the biggest dangers to a tire? Situations to avoid? Problems common to a tire? How safe is it to use a tire?

Under-inflation: riding with a flatter tire than indicated, causes the tire to wear out more on the outside, leaving the central area much less worn.

Excessive Inflation: Riding the tire with more air than recommended results in the center area being forced into contact with the road, causing rapid wear to the center and shoulders of the tire.

Alignment Errors: A typical example of wear caused by misalignment on the front wheel is progressive wear from one side. Wear can be felt by running your hand over the tire or observing that one part has more wear than the other.

End of Life: when a tire reaches the end of its life, reaching the minimum legal standard of depth of 1.6 millimeters, it still seems to have a useful life, but it is no longer safe to use it, so it is important to pay attention to the TWI, which indicates wear.

Emergency Braking: An emergency braking maneuver can cause the tires to wear out quickly, causing deformation of the ground contact area.

Objects on the track: can cause considerable damage such as cuts, tears, blisters and deformations.

What does TT mean?

TT stands for Tube Type, which indicates that the tire uses an inner tube. Normally when a tire is TT, the words Tube Type are also stamped. Nowadays there are few tires being produced with TT technology, as it is an old technology that is being replaced by TL.

What does TL mean?

TL stands for Tubeless, which means the tire doesn't use an inner tube. When the tire is of the TL type, the words Tubeless are stamped on the tire.

What do the letters P, LT, ST, T mean in the tire size?

These letters on the tire are part of the international tire classification code, but are optional, so they do not always appear stamped on the tire. Q: Indicates that it is for a passenger car (Passenger Car). LT: Indicates that it is for light truck. ST: Indicates it is for Special Trailer. T: Indicates that it is for temporary use, emergency tire.

Is it common for my tire to make noise? Why is my tire making noise?

Yes. The noise caused by your tire depends a lot on the track and tread pattern. Each tire design makes a different amount of noise.

Is it common for my tire to vibrate? Why does my tire vibrate?

Not. If your tire vibrates, it could be that it is not properly inflated, or you have wheel balance problems. It is important to check the cause, avoiding premature wear.

Is it important to align my tire? Why align my tire?

Misaligned tires cause discomfort when driving, as the vehicle tends to "pull" to the sides, causing the tires to wear out faster and have a shorter life. It can also cause damage to the vehicle's suspension.

Is it common for my tire to vibrate? Why does my tire vibrate?

Not. If your tire vibrates, it could be that it is not properly inflated, or you have wheel balance problems. It is important to check the cause, avoiding premature wear.

Is it important to align my tire? Why align my tire?

Misaligned tires cause discomfort when driving, as the vehicle tends to "pull" to the sides, causing the tires to wear out faster and have a shorter life. It can also cause damage to the vehicle's suspension.

How to find the tire air pressure (inflation)?

You can find the ideal pressure in your vehicle's manual, or on the label that informs the pressure for each tire, usually fixed on the fuel tank cap or on the left front door.

How do I know if my tire is directional? Is there a specific direction to mount my tire on the wheel?

Asymmetrically designed tires do not have a specific direction of direction, so they can be mounted pointing in any direction. Symmetrical and unidirectional tires can only be mounted pointing in one direction.

Tires that can only be used in one direction usually have an arrow stamped on the tire indicating the correct direction to go.

Why is a flat tire dangerous?

Flat tires have smaller than ideal water drainage channels, and therefore do not offer the safety they should on wet roads, which can cause aquaplaning and loss of vehicle control.

How do I know it's time to change my tire? What test can I do to see if my tire is too flat?

To make life easier for drivers, most tires already come with a life indicator, called TWI, which are small rubber bands on the tread, which indicate when the tire has reached the limit.

How do I know if my tire is tubeless, doesn't use an inner tube?

Almost all tires these days are tubeless (they don't use an inner tube) but if you want to be sure look for the word "Tubeless" stamped on your tire.

What is Rim Protection? What is it for?

Tire with rim protector is a tire with a reinforced and thicker wall, which in addition to being more resistant, protects the rim of the wheel, as the tire is a little further out.

What is the maximum load my tire can support? Tire weight index? How to read load index? Tire load index?

To find out the maximum load your tire can support, you can also check the load index chart. You will find one of these numbers printed on your tire after the measurement. Example: in measure 295/75R22.5 149L, 149 is the number that designates the maximum load per tyre, in this case 149 represents 3250kg or 7165lb.

TIRE LOAD INDEX CHART

Load index	Kg	Pound(lb)	Load index	Kg	Pound(lb)	Load index	Kg	Pound(lb)	Load index	Kg	Pound(lb)
51	195	430	101	825	1819	151	3450	7606	201	14500	31967
52	200	441	102	850	1874	152	3550	7826	202	15000	33069
53	206	454	103	875	1929	153	3650	8047	203	15500	34172
54	212	467	104	900	1984	154	3750	8267	204	16000	35274
55	218	481	105	925	2039	155	3875	8543	205	16500	36376
56	224	494	106	950	2094	156	4000	8818	206	17000	37479
57	230	507	107	975	2150	157	4125	9094	207	17500	38581
58	236	520	108	1000	2205	158	4250	9370	208	18000	39683
59	243	536	109	1030	2271	159	4375	9645	209	18500	40785
60	250	551	110	1060	2337	160	4500	9921	210	19000	41888
61	257	567	111	1090	2403	161	4625	10196	211	19500	42990
62	265	584	112	1120	2469	162	4750	10472	212	20000	44092
63	272	600	113	1150	2535	163	4875	10748	213	20600	45415
64	280	617	114	1180	2601	164	5000	11023	214	21200	46738
65	290	639	115	1215	2679	165	5150	11354	215	21800	48061
66	300	661	116	1250	2756	166	5300	11684	216	22400	49383
67	307	677	117	1285	2833	167	5450	12015	217	23000	50706
68	315	694	118	1320	2910	168	5600	12346	218	23600	52029
69	325	717	119	1360	2998	169	5800	12787	219	24300	53572
70	335	739	120	1400	3086	173	6000	13228	220	25000	55116
71	345	761	121	1450	3197	171	6150	13558	221	25750	56769
72	355	783	122	1500	3307	172	6300	13889	222	26500	58422
73	365	805	123	1550	3417	173	6500	14330	223	27250	60076
74	375	827	124	1600	3527	174	6700	14771	224	28000	61729
75	387	853	125	1650	3638	175	6900	15212	225	29000	63934
76	400	882	126	1700	3748	176	7100	15653	226	30000	66139
77	412	908	127	1750	3858	177	7300	16094	227	30750	67792
78	425	937	128	1800	3968	178	7500	16535	228	31500	69446
79	437	963	129	1850	4079	179	7750	17086	229	32500	71650
80	450	992	130	1900	4189	180	8000	17637	230	33500	73855
81	462	1019	131	1950	4299	181	8250	18188	231	34500	76059
82	475	1047	132	200	441	182	8500	18739	232	35500	78264
83	487	1074	133	2060	4542	183	8750	19290	233	36500	80469
84	500	1102	134	2120	4674	184	9000	19842	234	37500	82673
85	515	1135	135	2180	4806	185	9250	20393	235	38750	85429
86	530	1168	136	2240	4938	186	9500	20944	236	40000	88185
87	545	1202	137	2300	5071	187	9750	21495	237	41250	90941
88	560	1235	138	2360	5203	188	10000	22046	238	42500	93696
89	580	1279	139	2430	5357	189	10300	22708	239	43750	96452
90	600	1323	140	2500	5512	190	10600	23369	240	45000	99208
91	615	1356	141	2575	5677	191	10900	24030	241	46250	101964
92	630	1389	142	2650	5842	192	11200	24692	242	47500	104719
93	650	1433	143	2725	6000	193	11500	25353	243	48750	107475
94	670	1477	144	2800	6173	194	11800	26015	244	50000	110231
95	690	1521	145	2900	6393	195	12150	26786	245	51500	113538
96	710	1565	146	3000	6614	196	12500	27558	246	53000	116845
97	730	1609	147	3075	6779	197	12850	28329	247	54500	120152
98	750	1653	148	3150	6945	198	13200	29101	248	56000	123459
99	775	1709	149	3250	7165	199	13600	29983	249	58000	127868
100	800	1764	150	3350	7385	200	14000	30865	250	60000	132277

TIRE SPEED RATING CHART

Symbol Speed	Speed (km/h)	Speed (mph)
A1	5	3
A2	10	6
A3	15	9
A4	20	12
A5	25	16
A6	30	19
A8	40	25
B	50	31
C	60	37
D	65	40
E	70	43
F	80	50
G	90	56
J	100	62
K	110	68
L	120	75
M	130	81
N	140	87
P	150	94
Q	160	100
R	170	106
S	180	112
T	190	118
U	200	124
H	210	130
V	240	149
W	270	168
Y	300	186

 

How to convert 32 Inches to CM (32nds to MM)

1/32nds is one part of one inch divided in 32 parts.

So 18/32nds are 18 parts of 1 inch (2,54 cm or 25,4 mm) divided in 32 parts. 18/32nds = 0.563 inch or 14.29 millimeters.

What is cm and what is inch?

What is CM?
A centimetre (international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; symbol cm) or centimeter (American spelling) is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one hundredth of a metre, centi being the SI prefix for a factor of
1/100. The centimetre was the base unit of length in the now deprecated centimetre–gram–second (CGS) system of units.

Though for many physical quantities, SI prefixes for factors of 103—like milli- and kilo-—are often preferred by technicians, the centimetre remains a practical unit of length for many everyday measurements. A centimetre is approximately the width of the fingernail of an average adult person.

What is Inches?
The inch (abbreviation: in or ″) is a unit of length in the (British) imperial and United States customary systems of measurement. It is equal to ​1⁄36 yard or ​1⁄12 of a foot. Derived from the Roman uncia ("twelfth"), the word inch is also sometimes used to translate similar units in other measurement systems, usually understood as deriving from the width of the human thumb.

Standards for the exact length of an inch have varied in the past, but since the adoption of the international yard during the 1950s and 1960s it has been based on the metric system and defined as exactly 25.4 mm.

Fraction /32"s	Inch	MM
1/32"	0.031	0.79
2/32"	0.063	1.59
3/32"	0.094	2.38
4/32"	0.125	3.18
5/32"	0.156	3.97
6/32"	0.188	4.76
7/32"	0.219	5.56
8/32"	0.250	6.35
9/32"	0.281	7.14
10/32"	0.313	7.94
11/32"	0.344	8.73
12/32"	0.375	9.53
13/32"	0.406	10.32
14/32"	0.438	11.11
15/32"	0.469	11.91
16/32"	0.500	12.70
17/32"	0.531	13.49
18/32"	0.563	14.29
19/32"	0.594	15.08
20/32"	0.625	15.88
21/32"	0.656	16.67
22/32"	0.688	17.46
23/32"	0.719	18.26
24/32"	0.750	19.05
25/32"	0.781	19.84
26/32"	0.813	20.64
27/32"	0.844	21.43
28/32"	0.875	22.23
29/32"	0.906	23.02
30/32"	0.938	23.81
31/32"	0.969	24.61
32/32"	1.000	25.40