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TIRE TECH
TIRE TECH
Tire Tech |
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Reading Your Tire |
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Speed Ratings |
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Tire Sizing |
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Tire Pressure |
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Treadwear, Traction and Temperature |
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Mounting and Balancing |
Reading Your Tire |
| Tires have very useful information molded into the sidewall. It shows the name of the tire, its size, whether it is tubeless or tube type, the maximum load and maximum inflation, important safety warnings and other information. |
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Speed Ratings |
| Speed rating is a letter which indicates the maximum speed capability of a tire. In Europe, speed ratings were originally developed to help owners of high performance sports cars choose replacement tires designed to match the speed capabilities of their vehicles. The speed rating of any tire is a measurement of the top safe speed the tire can carry a load under specified conditions. It is also a suggestion of how the tire will handle at lesser speeds. A higher rated tire will give you better traction and improved steering response. |
| Below is a listing of common speed ratings: |
| Q = 99 MPH, 160km/h |
| S = 112 MPH, 180km/h |
| T = 118 MPH, 190km/h |
| U = 124 MPH, 200km/h |
| H = 130 MPH, 210km/h |
| V = 149 MPH, 240km/h |
| Z = 149 MPH, 240km/h and over |
| W = 168 MPH, 270km/h |
| Y = 186 MPH, 300km/h |
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Tire Sizing |
| It is important to know how to read the side of a tire. For example P225/50R17 89W |
| P = Passenger Car Tire |
| 225 = Section Width in Millimeters |
| 50 = Aspect Ratio |
| R = Radial Construction |
| 17 = Rim Diameter in Inches |
| 89 = Load index |
| W = speed rating |
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Tire Pressure |
| The best possible tire performance requires accurate tire inflation. Tire pressure can vary over time due to lots of factors such as climate, regular air loss, and how hard you drive your vehicle. To maintain proper inflation, you should check your tires every so often. Under inflation and over inflation of tires can lead to early or uneven wear, traction problems, and possibly tire failure. |
| The best place to find proper tire pressure is in your owner’s manual. Never inflate your tires to the maximum PSI it can cause serious damage. Remember to check your tire pressure monthly. |
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Treadwear, Traction and Temperature |
| Uniform Tire Quality Grading System. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading System (UTQGS) is a tire information system that provides buyers with information on three categories: |
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| Treadwear Treadwear grades typically range from 60 to over 500, in twenty point increments. It's important to remember that the actual life of any tire is determined by the road surface quality, driving habits, inflation, wheel alignment and the rotation it experiences. To receive a treadwear grade, a tire is tested under controlled conditions on a government prescribed test course which does not necessarily simulate the actual application for which a given tire is designed to perform. As a result of these test parameters, there is no reliable way to assign miles of wear to treadwear grade points. |
| Treadwear ratings are determined on a 400 mile government test course covering specified sections of public roads near San Angelo, Texas. A group of not more than four test vehicles travels the course in a convoy so that all tires experience the same conditions. Tread groove depths of the tires being tested are measured after each 800 miles. The same procedure is followed for a set of control or "course monitoring tires". Upon completion of the 7200 mile test, the rating results of both tests are compared, and the tires being tested are assigned a treadwear rating by the tire manufacturer. |
| The best way to use treadwear ratings when selling tires is to compare one rating to another. For instance, a tire with a treadwear grade of 400 might be expected to last twice as long as a tire that has a grade of 200. |
| Traction Traction grades indicate the measurement of a tire's ability to stop a car in straight-ahead motion on a wet test surface pavement. It does not measure straight-ahead acceleration. It's important to remember that traction rating tests are performed only for straight-ahead sliding on concrete and asphalt surfaces that have a specified degree of wetting which simulates most road surfaces in a rainstorm. The ratings that result from these tests may not apply to cornering traction or peak values of straight-ahead braking those experienced in non-skid braking tests. Traction grades range from "A" to "C", with "A" being the highest attainable grade. |
| Traction ratings are established on government maintained skid pads. Twenty measurements are taken with an industry standard control tire on an asphalt surface and averaged. The same numbers of measurements are made on a concrete surface. Corresponding measurements are then made on the tires being tested. Once the results of the tests are compared, traction ratings based on government prescribed coefficient levels are assigned to the tires that were tested. |
| Temperature Temperature grades also range from "A" to "C", with A being the highest. Temperature grades represent a properly maintained tire's ability to dissipate heat under controlled indoor test wheel conditions. |
| Temperature ratings are determined by running tires on an indoor roadwheel test under specified conditions. Successive 30 minute runs are made in 5 mph increments starting at 75 mph and continuing until the tire fails. A tire is graded from “A” to "C", with “A” being the highest. |
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Mounting and Balancing |
| Tire Canada also provides customers with all the latest technology available in mounting and balancing your wheel and tire packages. |
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