Tyre Buying Guide
How to Read Your Tyre Size?
  • Passenger Car Tyre - A 'P' or no letter at all indicates a passenger car Tyre.
  • Width (Millimeters) - This is the section width of your Tyre, in millimeters, measured from sidewall to sidewall.
  • Aspect Ratio (height/width) - This is the ratio of the height of the tyre sidewall, expressed as a percentage of width. An aspect ratio of 60, for example, indicates that the tyre's sidewall height is 60% of its width.
  • Radial (construction) - This tells you that the tyre is a radial construction. Almost every new tyre built today is a radial tyre.
  • Diameter (inches) - This is the diameter in inches of the rim of the wheel that the tyre has been designed to fit on.
  • Load Rating - This is the load index of a tyre, also called load rating, and corresponds to the maximum weight the tyre is designed to carry. It can be found on the tyre sidewall, next to the diameter. For safety reasons, you should never overload your tyres or choose replacement tyres with a load index lower than your vehicle manufacturer recommends.
  • Speed Rating - The speed rating is the maximum legal speed for a tyre when it is correctly inflated and in use under load. You will find your tyres speed rating printed on the sidewall, and represented by a letter. A tyre with a speed rating of V, for example, has a maximum speed of 240 km/h. When buying replacement tyres, it is essential to match their speed rating with the speed capabilities of your vehicle.
Speed Symbol and Maximum Chart
What Does The Load Index Mean?
  • The Load Index is a numerical code associated with the maximum load a tyre can carry at the speed indicated by its Speed Symbol under service conditions specified by the tyre manufacturer.
What Does The Speed Symbol Mean?
  • The Speed Symbol indicates the maximum speed at which the tyre can carry a load corresponding to its Load Index under service conditions specified by the tyre manufacturer
Understanding The Dot Code
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION - TYRE SAFERTY STANDARDS
  • The "DOT" symbol certifies the tyre manufacturer’s compliance with the U.S. tyres made in the United States have the DOT serial number located on the inside sidewall near the rim.
Understanding The Sidewall Marking On The Tyre
  • Manufacturers Name & Brand
  • Commercial Name (Pattern)
  • tyre Size Designation.
  • The word ‘radial’ to identify radial ply tyres. R in size marking also indicates radial ply tyres
  • The word ‘tubeless’ to identify tubeless tyres (or ‘tube type’ (optional) where appropriate)
  • The ‘E’ certifies that the tyre complies with the dimensional, performance and marking requirements of ECE Regulation 30.
  • Service description – ‘Load Capacity Index’ and the ‘Speed Category Symbol’, for example ’79V‘
  • TWI – is the abbreviation of ‘Tread Wear Indicator’ and may be found in the shoulder or upper sidewall part of some tyres.
  • Directional pattern tyres.
  • DOT – is the abbreviation of (U.S.) ‘Department of Transportation’
  • DM DF O5Y XXXX (Factory Code & date of Production)
  • A statement of ‘maximum load’ and ‘maximum pressure’
  • Cord materials used in the tyre construction and the number of plies
  • Country of origin
  • Uniform tyre quality grading (UTQG)
What tyres are best for a desert climate?
  • Tyre with a higher speed rating are best for a desert climate, since higher speeds are related to heat generation in the tyre. Tyres with a higher speed rating can therefore withstand higher temperatures.