Code Schemes: W/ASCD LS & W/ACD LS Example: 215/65HR 85H 215/65R 85H W - Tire section width (millimeters) (ex: 215 mm) A - Aspect ratio (percentage) (ex: 65%) C - Construction (ex: R - radial) D - Diameter (inches) (ex: 15 inches) L - Load index (see chart) (ex: 85) S - Speed rating (see chart) (ex: H)
ALPHA-NUMERIC
Code Schemes: LCA-D or LC-D Example: GR78-1 GR-15 L - Load capacity & width (ex: G) C - Construction (ex: R - radial) A - Aspect ratio (ex: 78) D - Rimdiameter (inches) (ex: 15 inches)
NUMERIC SYSTEM
Code Scheme: W-D Example: 8.25-15 W - Tire section width (inches) (ex: 8.25 inches) D - Diameter - Rim (inches) (ex: 15 inches)
EUROPEAN METRIC:
Code Schemes: WCD or W/ACD Example: 205R15 205/70R15 W - Tire section width (inches) (ex: 205 mm) A - Aspect ratio (percentage) (ex: 70 %) C - Construction (ex: R - radial) D - Diameter (inches) (ex: 15 inches)
W - The tire section width is the total width of the tire including sidewall bulge. Do not confuse this with tread width. The tread width (footprint/contact patch) is significantly less. NOTE: The section width increases .2 inches for every .5 inch increase in rim width. Please be sure to compensate for this in ALL your computations. A - The aspect ratio is a percentage of the tire section width (W) that makes up the tire's height. If the width were 215mm and the aspect ratio were 65, the tire section height (sidewall) would be (65% of 215) or 139.75mm. C - The construction is of type: R: Radial ply B: Bias-belted D: Diagonal or Bias ply LS - The service description consists of a load index (L) and a speed rating (S) which is further explained below. L - The load index ranges from 0 to 279. Passenger car tires usually range from 75 to 100. Divide the Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) by two. It's usually on a sticker located on the side of the driver's door (GAWR-FRT front) and (GAWR-RR rear). For example, a front of 2169 and a rear of 2278 equates to 84 & 86 (minimum) respectively (2169 divided by 2 and 2278 divided by 2).
Load Index - - Load lbs./wheel- - GAWR
S - Speed ratings (S) range fron A1 (3mph) to Z (149+mph). Passenger car tires maximum speed ratings are as follows: P - 94 mph U - 124 mph Q - 100 mph H - 130 mph R - 106 mph V - 130+ mph (w/o load indexes) S - 112 mph V - 149 mph (w/load indexes) T - 118 mph Z - 149+ mph (by manufacturer)
Speed rated tires usually can be repaired and retain their speed rating,
although H, V, & Z rated may only have one .25 inch puncture. Any more,
and the tire cannot retain the orginal speed rating.
Max Load & Max Inflation
P-Metric system tires have a load range: P - passenger (standard) usually 4-ply (35 psi) XL - Extra load 6-ply (41-44 psi) Alpha-Numeric and Numeric system tires use different load ranges. B - standard 4-ply (32 psi) C - extra load (36 psi) D - extra load (41 psi) LT - light truck
Ply Information
There is ply information on the tire which shows type of construction. ex:Tread Plies: 2 Polyester + Steel + 2 Nylon Sidewall Plies: 2 Polyester
Treadwear
The higher the rating, the longer the projected tread life under optimal
conditions. Driving style, road conditions, alignment, rotation, and other
factors can affect a tire's life expectancy. For comparison purposes, the
index is a percentage grading based on 100 being average. The treadwear
is rated against other tires from THE SAME manufacturer. For example, a
treadware rating of 150 from company X means that tire will wear 1 &
1/2 times as well as a tire from that company with a rating of 100 given
the driving conditions are constant. As another example, B.F. GOODRICH
Radial T/A HR4 has a rating of 310 and B.F. GOODRICH Comp T/A HR4 Has a
rating of 340. The Comp T/A HR4 should last 1.096 times as long as the
Radial T/A. The actual tread-wear warranty is a more easily digestible
figure that indicates the number of miles a consumer could expect from
a properly maintained tire. Many tires carry a 40,000 mile warranty, which
translates to an index of approximately 360.
Traction
The traction index rates STRAIGHT-LINE stopping ability on wet concrete
and asphalt surfaces using the A, B, and C scale, with A being the (best)
and C the (worst). Purchase decisions shouldn't be based strictly on this
rating, as it doesn't take into account handling on other surfaces such
as dry or snow covered pavement, nor does it rate cornering and acceleration
abilities.
Temperature Rating
A rating of the tire's ability to dissipate and resist heat, on a scale
of (from highest to lowest) A, B, and C. To earn the highest grade of "A",
a tire must withstand a half hour run at 115 mph without failing. Like
treadwear and traction index ratings, the temperature index can only be
used to accurately compare within a manufacture's product line. All passenger
tires must achieve a rating of C. A & B represent higher levels of
performance than are required by law.
All-Season
M/S, M+S, or M&S states the tire meets the Rubber Manufacture's Association
(RMA) definition for mud and snow. Current trends are the use of a "4"
in the tire model's name.
NOTE: Stock GOODYEAR Eagle GTs are NOT all-season tires!
Radial Construction
They must state "RADIAL" on the tire. Radial ply construction
tires comprise the vast majority of the passenger-car market.
TPC Spec
The TPC spec states the tire has met the General Motors performance specifications.
Tubeless
They must state "TUBELESS" or "TUBETYPE".
Department of Transportation
DOT XXXX XXX - "DOT" means the tire meets the Department of Transportation
safety standards. The code identifies the tire manufacturer, plant, type
of tire construction, and date the tire was made. The last three numbers
indicate the week and the last digit of the year the tire was made.
NOTE: Each tire's section width is based on a particular rim size
and construction. Compensate for differences. Increase section width .2
inches for every .5 inch increase in rim width. For example, if the tire's
section width is 9.14" on a 6.5" rim and is to be mounted on
a 7" rim, the section width would be 9.34". Section width (sidewall
flex) will vary by construction. ANY variance will affect calculations!
Radius - Diameter - Circumference
To compute the diameter of a P-Metric tire, multiply the section width
by the aspect ratio (as a percentage). If necessary, divide this number
by 25.4 to convert millimeters to inches. For example, a 215/65 equates
to a tire height of 5.5019685 inches (215 x .65) divided by 25.4. Multiplying
this by 2 for the top and bottom sidewall height and adding the rim size
will get the overall tire diameter. For example, if the tire is on a 15
inch rim, it is approximately 26 inches ((5.5 x 2) + 15). The radius is
half of the diameter. Multiplying the diameter by pi (3.1415927...) will
get the circumference.
Tire Revolutions Per Mile
To compute the number of tire revolutions per mile, divide 20,168 by the diameter. 20168 ---------------------------- = Tire Revs/Mile (Tire Heigth X 2) + Rim Size For a 215/65R15: 20168 ---------------- = 775 (5.5" X 2) + 15 For a 255/60R15: 20168 ---------------- = 747 (6" X 2) + 15
Speed
By dividing the original tire revolutions by the new tire revolutions
and multiplying by the indicated speed on the speedometer, we arrive at
the new actual speed.
(Orig. Tire Revs/Mile) ---------------------- X Indicated Speed = Actual Speed (New Tire Revs/Mile) Using the above tire sizes: (775) ----- X 60 mph = 62 mph (747)
Rear Axle Ratio
Changing tire diameters will also change the effective rear axle gear ratio.
Divide the new tire revolutions by the original tire revolutions and multiply
by the original axle ratio. For example, 215/65s and a rear axle ratio
of 3.54 moved to a 255/60 will net an effective ratio of 3.30.
(New Tire Revs/Mile) --------------------- X Orig. Axle Ratio = Effect. Axle Ratio (Orig.Tire Revs/Mile) (747) ----- X 3.42 ratio = 3.30 ratio (775) As you can see, this will theoretically raise the top speed of the vehicle but hurt its acceleration. To regain the original effective ratio with the new tires, a 3.55 ratio is required. (Orig.Tire Revs/Mile) --------------------- X Orig. Axle Ratio = Equiv. Axle Ratio (New Tire Revs/Mile) (775) ----- X 3.42 ratio = 3.55 ratio (747)
Maximum Speed
To calculate the maximum speed of a vehicle, take:
Overall Tire Diameter X Achieved Engine RPM (redline) ------------------------------------------------------ = Max Speed Differential Ratio X Top Gear Ratio X 336 26" X 5250 ----------------- = 177 mph 3.42 X 0.67 X 336 This differs from actual speed capability due to aerodynamics.
Lateral Acceleration
To measure lateral acceleration (cornering ability), use:
1.227 X R g = ----------- (T X T) R is the radius of the turning circle and T is the time (in seconds) required for one lap. Stock turbo-Buicks usually can achieve .79 to .80g.
Tire Mixing
It is always best to have all four tires the same size and construction.
If mixing is necessary, install radials on the rear and non-radial on the
front and/or wider tires on the rear than front. Never mix constructions
and/or sizes on the same axle.
"Plus One / Plus Two Sizing Concept"
This allows vehicles to use lower aspect ratio (lower profile) tires
by increasing wheel rim diameter (+1/+2 inches), rim width, and tread width
to gain handling and traction. Choose larger diameter tire which retains
revs/mile and load capacity.
Rim Width Recommendations
Where ranges are specified, V & H speed rated tires require and can
accomodate a wider rim. Check with specific manufacturer!
50-Series (P)195/50xR15 5.5 - 7.5" (P)205/50xR15 5.5/6.0 - 8.0" 225/50xR15 6.5 - 9.0" P245/50xR15 6.5 - 9.5" P265/50xR15 7.0/7.5 - 10.0-10.5" P275/50xR15 7.0 - 11.0" * P285/50xR15 7.5 - 11.0" P295/50xR15 7.5 - 11.0-11.5" * P295/50xR15 8.0 - 11.5" 60-Series 195/60xR15 5.0 - 7.5" 205/60xR15 5.5 - 8.0" 215/60xR15 5.5 - 8.5" 225/60xR15 6.0 - 9.0" * 225/60xR15 6.0 - 8.0" (P)235/60xR15 6.0 - 9.0" *(P)235/60xR15 6.0 - 8.0" P245/60xR15 6.5 - 9.5" (P)255/60xR15 6.5 - 10.0" *(P)255/60xR15 6.5 - 9.0" *(P)265/60xR15 7.0 - 10.0" P275/60xR15 7.0 - 11.0" 65-Series 215/65xR15 5.5 - 8.0" (P)- same for passenger and non-passenger tires / - denotes manufacturer model construction variance * - denotes tire designation conversion estimates computed from the Tire and Rim Association Inc. NOTE:Within a rim range, a middle width should be used for normal driving and a wider rim width should be used if improved handling is preferred.