Tires Wheels
Tires & Wheels – Doesn’t size matter anymore
Why are wheels and tires always the first to be upgraded? Because they look good that’s why. Performance enthusiasts should instead consider performance first because tires must absorb shock from the road surface, respond to driving, braking and steering actions. Tires are therefore the single most important component that determines the limits of road holding. There are several road-holding characteristics to consider. Unfortunately, unlike wheels, a tire’s performance characteristic in one parameter would be at the expense of another. Tire utilize all kinds of raw materials – natural and synthetic rubbers, metal and fabric cords, reinforcing fillers and chemical additives like polymers, sulphur, carbon black, silica, oils, waxes and resin. Structural components may actually transform and develop new properties. Some of this transformation may continue over the course of the tire’s life, especially if it is overheated.
Grading tires
The Uniform Tire Quality Grading System (UTQS) developed by the US Government are used by manufacturers in three specific areas: treadwear, traction, and temperature. It is not a safety rating and does not guarantee that a tire will last or perform a certain way. Treadwear – The treadwear number, determined by field testing on a government-specified course, is a percentage of a control tire graded at 100 points. The treadwear grade lets you compare how long different tires would last if driven by the same driver under the same road conditions and if maintained properly. The treadwear number is related to the density of the tire’s tread wear compound. Low treadwear numbers mean softer tread compounds. Tires with high mileage warranties would have high treadwear number for maximum life. For example, a tire with a 400 tread wear should have its useful tread last twice as long as a tire graded 200, but would not stick to the road as well. Remember to only compare treadwear numbers within the same brand.
Traction – The tire-road-interface friction coefficient commonly known as traction is determined by the vehicle’s speed, tire and the road’s condition. The traction rating is tested from a straight-line (damp) grip first. The rating, scored A, B, or C, tells you how well the tires can stop your vehicle on wet roads. “AA” is best. Testing is performed under controlled surfaces. Traction grades do not reflect cornering or handling performance.
Temperature Resistance – This rating, also scored A, B, or C, measures how well the tire would resist overheating during sustained high speed. In general, the lower the running temperature, the less likely the tire would fail. A tire graded “A” represents the best performance, and is better than a “B” tire and “C” being the minimum performance required by US federal safety standards.
Reading tire sidewalls
Look for an alphanumeric tire size designation, example: P 225/50R16 92V
1. The first letter “P” indicates the tire was designed to meet north American passenger-car standards. A lack of a preceding letter means a tires is designed for European standards.
2. The first number, in this case “225″ specifies the tire’s nominal section width in millimeters from the widest point of the outer sidewall, to the widest point of its inner sidewall.
3. The second number specifies the tire’s sidewall height (from rim to tread) as a percentage of the tire’s width. This is often referred as the tire’s profile, better known as Aspect Ratio. Higher numbers mean a taller profile sidewall; lower numbers mean a lower profile sidewall. In this case, the sidewall height is “50″ percent of its width (225 mm), thus – 112.5 mm.
4. The next letter, R, stands for Radial construction.
5. The third number, (the “16 in our example) specifies the tire’s inner diameter in inches and needs to match the diameter of the rim it would be installed on.
6. Finally the last letter indicates the maximum speed that the tire is designed to withstand if it is properly inflated and not overloaded, for short periods of time. “V” is therefore the speed rating, meaning this tire is capable of sustained speeds of up to 240km/h. Other common speed ratings are S (max. 180 km/h), T (max. 190 km/h), U (max. 200 km/h), H (max. 210 km/h), V (max. 240 km/h), Z (higher than 240 km/h), W (max. 270 km/h), Y (max. 300 km/h).
Production Code – The production code on all tires is not standardized, but you would see a special code in an ellipse shape on at least 80% of all tires on the market. The last 4 digits on the ellipse tell us the production date of the tire. The first 2 digits is PRODUCTION WEEK and the last 2 digits is the YEAR. Assuming there are 4 weeks in a month, we can say that this tire was produced by the end March 2003 (9=9th week of the year, 05=Year 2005). 5000 means 50th week of year 2000, which means December 2000. 0205 means the tire was produced the second week of January 2005.
This date is important because the rubber deteriorates with age. A tire that’s been in service for five years or more should be replaced regardless of tread depth. Remember with age a tire loses its ability to grip and increase noise levels. For best grip get fresh tires. It is the quality and the freshness of the rubber compound that makes a tire grip well and strong.
Load Limits – Your car and tires are designed to operate safely only up to their load limits as shown in your owner’s manual. These markings “Max Load/Max Pressure” seen on the tires sidewall is often misunderstood. This is not the pressure at which the tire would explore. Increasing pressure beyond this point results in no additional load-carrying beyond that stated. Nevertheless, the volume of air inside the tire determines its load-carrying capacity. Tires with a lower aspect ratio have less air inside and thus have smaller load capacity than a higher aspect ratio tires with all other things being equal. Ensure that the upsized tire has equal or greater load carrying capability than stock for comfort and safety. Otherwise the inflation pressures need to be adjusted accordingly. Do not overload your vehicle – baggage carried in and on top of any vehicle counts as additional load.
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How To Mount Tires On Beadlock Wheels
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