Reading Your Sidewall

Reading the Sidewall

Understanding your tires begins with understanding how to read the information printed on the side of your tire. This information is explained in detail below beginning with information about the tire size:
 

Speed Rating (commonly referred to as the "Performance Rating"). A tire’s speed rating represents the maximum recommended speed that the specified tire should be driven for a specified time period. The speed rating is determined by manufacturer testing to meet the minimum standards as specified by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for reaching and sustaining a specific speed level. A common misunderstanding about speed ratings is the consumers thought that "I never drive that fast...". While that statement is true for most drivers, the Speed Rating is directly related to the tires construction. The tire's construction directly affects the performance and handling characteristics of the vehicle. If the vehicle manufacturer specifies a specific speed-rated tire, the replacement tires must have the same or higher speed rating. This ensures that the  performance and handling characteristics and speed rating specified by the manufacturer are maintained. If tires with different speed ratings are mounted on the same vehicle, the tire or tires with the lowest rating will limit the tire-related vehicle speed.
Before 2000, the date code had three digits. Since 2000, it has had four. The first two digits are the week of the year (01 = the first week of January). The third digit (for tires made before 2000) is the year (1 = 1991). For most tires made after 2000, the third and fourth digits are the year (04 = 2004).	Tire DOT Code The DOT code is an alphanumeric code that appears on the sidewall of the tire. This code is sometimes referred to as a serial number. It's mandated by the U.S. Department of Transportation, and identifies where a tire was manufactured, specific characteristics about the tire, and its age. The code in the illustration is DOT H2U1 YC7L 3805 "H2" identifies the plant that manufactured the tire. "U1" is the tire size code. "YC7L" is an optional code that refers to a brand, or other characteristics specific to the tire. "3805" identifies the manufacturing date. The first two digits represent the week, and the last two digits represent the year. Therefore, in this example, the tire was manufactured in the 38th week of 2005.
The tire's sidewall contains additional information such as the Load Range, Load Index, and UTQG Rating. For more information on these, refer to the Tire Information page of the website...