Choosing The Right Tyres
Each car manufacturer will specify a tyre size along with a speed and load rating for each wheel size offered on each of their models. It is important to stick to recommended specification. There will be a range of different tyres at different prices available for each size and spec. A cheap tyre may be false economy in the long run as it may wear quicker or not perform as well. To make this choice easier each tyre carries an EU Label listing it's properties.
EU Tyre Label
The EU tyre label lists three basic properties of a tyre; Fuel Efficiency, Wet Grip & Road Noise. Rating for the former two are A to G with A as the best and G as the worst and the latter lists the road noise generated by the tyre in decibels.
Tyre Size
A tyres size is stamped on the sidewall in the format of three numbers, a slash, two numbers, R or ZR & two numbers. e.g. 225/45 R17
The first number is the tread width in mm.
The second number is the profile (sidewall height) also called the aspect ratio. This is given as a percentage of the width. In this example 45% of 225mm = 101mm
R stands for Radial tyre construction as oppose to the classic crossply.
The last number is the diameter in inches. 17 indicating the tyre will fit a 17" wheel.
Load & Speed Rating
Following the size there will be a number and a letter. The number is the load rating, the weight each tyre can carry. For example 62 = 265KG and 109 = 1030KG
The speed rating is the maximum speed the tyre is designed to travel at. For example K= 68MPH and W=168MPH
There may also be markings indicating if the tyre has a reinforced sidewall or if the tyre is a run flat type.
Tyre Date
All modern tyres carry a four number code indicating their date of manufacture. The first two numbers indicate the week (01 - 52) The last two the year.
For example:
0514 = The fifth week of 2014
At Paint Perfect we can help our customers choose the right tyre for their vehicle. Often when carrying out an alloy wheel refurbishment we source, supply & fit new tyres and the customer can drive away with wheels and tyres back to showroom condition. Our range of alloy wheel repair services includes chemical stripping, media blasting, wheel straightening, welding of cracked alloys, solvent wet spraying and powder coating. Call us on 01522 568247 or visit our Clayton Road workshop for more information.
