Understanding Tyres
It’s a well known fact that in Spain, your car tyres need to be identical on each axle, but do you know what all the writing and codes mean on your car tyres? Here’s a guide that explains everything and why it’s important to know what’s what.
TYRE WIDTH
The 3 digit tyre width is the nominal measurement from sidewall to sidewall in millimetres, taken at the widest point of the tyre, but excludes writing and kerbing rib.
HEIGHT RATIO
Also known as the Aspect Ratio, this tells you how tall your tyre is as a percentage of the width. So in the example we give it is 55% of 205mm, or 112.75 mm.
RADIAL
This is the type of construction of the tyre and the standard construction for most passenger vehicle tyres are Radial
WHEEL DIAMETER
The diameter code signifies the wheel size (in inches) that the tyre is intended to be mounted on. In our example the tyre should be mounted on 16 inch diameter wheels.
LOAD RATING
Also known as the load index, the load rating tells us how much weight the tyre can bear. The load rating is a numerical code that can be cross referenced against a standardised table that will provide the safe load for the tyre at maximum inflation. In our example a load rating of 91 translates to 615kg.
SPEED RATING
The tyre speed rating is a letter code that can be used to look up the maximum speed that the tyre can safely withstand with a fully loaded vehicle. For the “V” rating in our example the tyre is rated for a maximum sustained speed of 149 mph.
DOT
DOT in our example stands for Department of Transport and indicates that this is the authority that has approved the tyre. The DOT code is comprised of between 7 and 13 characters and will usually contain the factory code, tyre size, brand symbol and the tyre age.
FACTORY CODE
The factory code is sometimes also referred to as the Plant Code and tells us the factory where the tyre was manufactured. The factory codes can usually be Googled.
DATE OF MANUFACTURE
This is a four digit code that tells us when the tyre was manufactured. The first two digits represent the week number and the second two digits are the year, so in our example the tyres were manufactured the second week of 2004.
ECE REGULATION 30
All UK and European tyres must also be “E” marked which shows that they conform to European Safety Standards. In our example “E4” signifies that the tyre was manufactured in Holland and complies with the regulation.
OTHER TYRE MARKINGS
In addition to the codes and markings we’ve already covered, you will also usually see the brand and commercial name of the tyre and information about the materials used in the construction of the tyre. Some other common markings are RF for Run Flat, M+S for Mud & Snow and for winter tyres a twin peaks symbol with snowflakes.
TREAD WEAR INDICATORS
Finally we come to the tread wear indicators that show the minimum tread depth of the tyre which is 1.6mm in the UK and Europe, measured across the central three quarters, however do bear in mind that for safety the standard recommendation is a minimum of 3mm.
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Car Registrations Spain S.L. is the leading vehicle registration service of pre-registered foreign vehicles in Spain. If you have a foreign registered vehicle that you would like to register on to Spanish plates or think we can be of service, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with a member of our team.
info@car-registrations-spain.com
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