Very often motorists are confused for a moment about how to read the abbreviations imprinted on the tires. In this article we want to create a minimum of clarity and make all the different acronyms that we find on our tires clearer and more transparent.

The shape of the tire is fundamental. Even if it might seem like something useless, knowing perfectly all the acronyms that are imprinted on it is something fundamental. In fact, saving on the purchase of a good tire can have a boomerang effect. The more you spend in the tire sector, the more you have a return in terms of safety, reduced fuel consumption and low noise.

To analyze a pneumatic there are some basic steps, which we are now going to report below.

The first aspect is clearly the existence of a brand , that is a brand imprinted on the tire. The main brands that we can find are for example Michelin, Goodyear, Firestone, Continental, Dunlop, Pirelli and many others. The car manufacturers often and willingly, alongside their name, also position a brand linked to tires. For example, if a certain brand develops a tire that is attentive to consumption, we could therefore find an indication of a name for that particular tire.

As a second aspect to observe is the indication of a P above the shoulder of the tire followed by a set of numbers . The letter P indicates that the rubber was designed for passenger transport vehicles, while we will look at T in the case of spare tires. Light trucks, on the other hand, have the letters LT, while special trailers have the letters ST.

Having come to that, we come to perhaps the most famous number combinations for a tire. Very often we find three digits, separated by a two-digit slash and then a letter and two digits. An example to simplify everything is this:

225/55 R 16

The first three digits indicate the tread width in millimeters, i.e. 225mm. The second two digits (55 in this case) indicate the percentage ratio between shoulder height and tread width. The last two digits instead indicate the diameter of the circle (16). Normally between the first pair of two digits and the last two, you will almost always find an R, which indicates the radial structure of the wheels.

At the end of this whole series of numbers, you may also find two more digits followed by a letter. We are not talking about numbers placed there by chance, but they are exactly the index of how many kg the rubber can withstand. On this aspect we must always compare the registration document and we will never be able to mount tires that have a lower capacity index than that expressed in the registration document.

At the end of all this string of numbers and letters, we find precisely a letter. It expresses the maximum speed the rubber can withstand and has been homologated. Here is a summary table :

• S indicates that the tire has been approved up to 180 km / h;
• T indicates that the tire has been approved up to 190 km / h.
• U indicates that the tire has been approved up to 200 km / h.
• H indicates that the tire has been approved up to 210 km / h.
• V indicates that the tire has been approved up to 240 km / h.
• ZR indicates that the tire has been approved up to 240 km / h.
• W indicates that the tire has been approved up to 270 km / h.
• Y indicates that the tire has been approved up to 300 km / h.

Another important aspect to observe are also four digits which have been inserted inside a small oval. They express exactly the week and year in which the gum was created . If we find 0420, it means that it was built in the fourth week of 2020.

Modern wheels also include a whole host of other information related to rubber performance. There are in fact 7 efficiency classes, from A which is the best, up to G which is the worst. Needless to say, which one to strive for!

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