DOT (Department of Transportation): tire
symbol
:
indicates that the tire complies
with the requirements of the U.S. Department
of Transportation.
Manufacturer identification code: manufac-
turer identification code
;
provides
details on the tire manufacturer. New tires
have a code with two symbols. Retreaded tires
have a code with four symbols.
For further information about retreaded
tires, see (
Y
page 193).
Tire size: identifier
=
describes the tire
size.
Tire type code: tire type code
?
can be used
by the manufacturer as a code to describe
specific characteristics of the tire.
Date of manufacture: date of manufacture
A
provides information about the age of a tire.
The first and second positions represent the
week of manufacture, starting with "01" for
the first calendar week. Positions three and
four represent the year of manufacture. For
example, a tire that is marked with "3208",
was manufactured in week 32 in 2008.
i
Tire data is vehicle-specific and may
deviate from the data in the example.
Tire characteristics
This information describes the type of tire
cord and the number of layers in sidewall
:
and under tire tread
;
.
i
Tire data is vehicle-specific and may
deviate from the data in the example.
Definition of terms for tires and loading
Tire ply composition and material used
Describes the number of plies or the number
of layers of rubber-coated fabric in the tire
tread and sidewall. These are made of steel,
nylon, polyester and other materials.
Bar
Metric unit for tire pressure. 14.5038 pounds
per square inch (psi) and 100 kilopascals
(kPa) are the equivalent of 1 bar.
DOT (Department of Transportation)
DOT marked tires fulfill the requirements of
the United States Department of Transporta-
tion.
Normal occupant weight
The number of occupants for which the vehicle
is designed multiplied by 68 kilograms
(150 lbs).
Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards
A uniform standard to grade the quality of
tires with regards to tread quality, tire trac-
tion and temperature characteristics. The
quality grading assessment is made by the
manufacturer following specifications from
the U.S. government. The ratings are molded
into the sidewall of the tire.
Recommended tire pressures
The recommended tire pressure applies to the
tires mounted at the factory.
The Tire and Loading Information placard
contains the recommended tire pressures for
cold tires on a fully loaded vehicle and for
the maximum permissible vehicle speed.
The tire pressure table contains the recom-
mended pressures for cold tires for various
operating conditions, i.e. differing load and
speed conditions.
Increased vehicle weight due to optional
equipment
The combined weight of all standard and
optional equipment available for the vehi-
cle, regardless of whether it is actually
installed on the vehicle or not.
All about wheels and tires
187
>>
Wheels
and
tires.
Z
