Tire labels, letters and numbers: What do they mean?

Looking to buy new tires?

This guide will help you uncover the mysteries behind some of the labels and codes printed on them.

Tags

All new tires sold in the European Union after November 2012 come with a standard label.

It serves to classify tires according to three categories: fuel consumption, wet grip, and noise they produce.

The rating starts from green A (best result) to red G (worst result). The noise produced is measured in decibels (dB).

The label itself is similar to those on household appliances. This is done so that drivers have more information when buying new tires.

Fuel consumption

This label indicates the friction of the tires during rotation by measuring the amount of energy lost. This amount of energy consumed depends on the wear of the tire's tread and its wear.

Tires that have lower rolling friction consume less fuel and as a result the rating is higher.

Wet rubbing

The wet grip rating of a tire is measured by the distance it takes a car to stop in rainy weather.

In reality, stopping distance depends on several factors, but the main ones are the friction of the tires with the asphalt in wet conditions and their pressure.

Car tire manufacturers try to find the golden mean between low fuel consumption and adequate road grip.

noises

The external noise produced by tires is measured in decibels (dB) and is a recently introduced indicator to help drivers avoid noise pollution.

This is intended to reduce road noise. The visual indicator is in the form of a wave from lowest to highest. With tires that produce little noise, not only will those around you feel grateful, but you will also feel grateful for your car.

Meaning of numbers

Each tire has printed letters and numbers that provide the right information about the tire you need on your car.

They define the width, height, diameter, profile, maximum weight and maximum speed. Here is an example below:

And here's what each of the numbers and letters indicate:

193 – Tire width in millimeters

60 – Tire height

R – Radial construction

15 – Disc diameter in inches

94 – Maximum weight that the tire can carry

W – The maximum speed the tire can withstand

This data is also used to determine the ideal tire pressure.

Maximum speed by letter

The letter that corresponds to the maximum speed of the tire is the last among the numbers and letters printed on it. It indicates the maximum speed it can withstand. Here is a table:

Maximum weight

As the title of this paragraph suggests, this indicator indicates the maximum weight a tire can carry.

A tire with a load index of 91 can carry up to 615 kilograms. Multiply that by four and the weight you can load on your car is 2,460 kilograms.

Being overweight can compromise safety but also fuel consumption.

Here are the weight indicators: