Like everyone who drives a car, you have had to replace your tires as they wear out. You look on the side wall of your tire and see numbers like P185/70 R 14 88 T or P235/50 R 18 101 W. The chart below shows what the second example’s number will tell you.
| P | 235 | 50 | R | 18 | 101 | w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passenger Vehicle | Width = 235 mm | Height = 118 mm | Radial Tire | Rim Width is 18″ Wide | 825 kg per Tire | 270 km per Hour |
| Usage Code | Width | Height | Construction | Rim Width | Load | Speed |
Usage Code
P = Passenger Vehicle
LT = Light Truck
C = Light Commercial
T = Temporary
Radial Construction
R = Radial Type
B = Bias Belt / Cross Ply
If no letter = Cross Ply
Load Capacity Code (KG per Tire)
80 = 450
81 = 462
82= 475
83 = 487
84 = 500
85 = 515
86 = 530
87 = 545
88 = 560
89 = 580
90 = 600
91 = 615
92 = 630
93 = 650
94 = 670
95 = 690
96 = 710
97 = 730
98 = 750
99 = 775
100 = 800
101 = 825
102 = 850
103 = 875
104 = 900
105 = 925
106 = 950
107 = 975
108 = 1000
Speed Rating (Per KM per Hour)
J = 100
K = 110
L = 120
M = 130
N = 140
O = 150
P = 160
Q = 170
R = 180
S = 190
T = 200
U = 210
V = 240
W = 270
Y = 300
Tire Born on Date
If you were ever wondering when your tires were made, here is how to find out.
Just look at the sidewall of your tire and look for the raised DOT. Look to the right of that and find the 4 digits. The first two digits are the week of production, and the last two are the year. If you see only three numbers, it was made before 2000. A tire’s shelf life is around 10 years, so if your tire’s date of manufacture is more than 10 years old, you might want to plan on replacing it soon. The tire in the picture above was made on the 40th week of 2020.