Tire information
Tire size (P. 538) DOT and Tire Identification Number (TIN) (P. 537) Location of treadwear indicators (P. 428) Tire ply composition and materials Plies are layers of rubber-coated parallel cords. Cords are the strands which form the plies in a tire. Uniform tire quality grading For details, see “Uniform Tire Quality Grading” that follows. Load limit at maximum cold tire inflation pressure (P. 542) Maximum cold tire inflation pressure (P. 542) This means the pressure to which a tire may be inflated. TUBELESS or TUBE TYPE A tubeless tire does not have a tube and air is directly put into the tire. A tube type tire has a tube inside the tire and the tube maintains the air pressure.
Typical tire symbols
Radial tires or bias-ply tires A radial tire has “RADIAL” on the sidewall. A tire not marked “RADIAL” is a bias-ply tire. Summer tires or all season tires (P. 433) An all season tire has “M+S” on the sidewall. A tire not marked “M+S” is a summer tire.
DOT symbol* Tire Identification Number (TIN) Tire manufacturer’s identification mark Tire size code Manufacturer’s optional tire type code (3 or 4 letters) Manufacturing week Manufacturing year Manufacturer’s code
*: The DOT symbol certifies that the tire conforms to applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Typical DOT and Tire Identification Number (TIN)
Type A Type B
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■ Typical tire size information
The illustration indicates typical tire size.
Tire use (P = Passenger car, T = Temporary use) Section width (millimeters) Aspect ratio (tire height to section width) Tire construction code (R = Radial, D = Diagonal) Wheel diameter (inches) Load index (2 digits or 3 digits) Speed symbol (alphabet with one letter)
■ Tire dimensions
Section width Tire height Wheel diameter
Tire size
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Vehicle specifications
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Bead Sidewall Shoulder Tread Belt Inner liner Reinforcing rubber Carcass Rim lines Bead wires Chafer
Tire section names
540 8-1. Specifications
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This information has been prepared in accordance with regulations issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It provides the purchasers and/or prospective purchasers of Toyota vehicles with information on uniform tire quality grading.
Your Toyota dealer will help answer any questions you may have as you read this information.
■ DOT quality grades
All passenger vehicle tires must conform to Federal Safety Require- ments in addition to these grades. Quality grades can be found where applicable on the tire sidewall between tread shoulder and maximum section width.
For example: Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A ■ Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled conditions on a speci- fied government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and a half (1 - 1/2) times as well on the government course as a tire graded 100. The relative performance of tires depends upon the actual condi- tions of their use. Performance may differ significantly from the norm due to variations in driving habits, service practices and differences in road characteristics and climate.
■ Traction AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A, B and C, and they represent the tire’s ability to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled conditions on specified government test surfaces of asphalt and concrete.
A tire marked C may have poor traction performance. Warning: The traction grade assigned to this tire is based on braking (straight ahead) traction tests and does not include cornering (turn- ing) traction.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
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Vehicle specifications
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■ Temperature A, B, C
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B, and C, representing the tire’s resistance to the generation of heat and its ability to dissi- pate heat when tested under controlled conditions on a specified indoor laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the material of the tire to degenerate and reduce tire life, and excessive temperature can lead to sudden tire failure. Grade C corresponds to a level of performance which all passenger car tires must meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stan- dard No. 109. Grades B and A represent higher levels of performance on the labo- ratory test wheel than the minimum required by law. Warning: The temperature grades of a tire assume that it is properly inflated and not overloaded. Excessive speed, underinflation, or excessive loading, either sepa- rately or in combination, can cause heat buildup and possible tire failure.
542 8-1. Specifications
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Glossary of tire terminology
Tire related term Meaning
Cold tire inflation pres- sure
Tire pressure when the vehicle has been parked for three hours or more, or has not been driven more than 1 mile or 1.5 km under that condition
Maximum inflation pressure
The maximum cold inflated pressure to which a tire may be inflated, shown on the sidewall of the tire
Recommended infla- tion pressure
Cold tire inflation pressure recommended by a manufacturer
Accessory weight
The combined weight (in excess of those stan- dard items which may be replaced) of auto- matic transmission, power steering, power brakes, power windows, power seats, radio and heater, to the extent that these items are available as factory-installed equipment (whether installed or not)
Curb weight
The weight of a motor vehicle with standard equipment, including the maximum capacity of fuel, oil and coolant, and if so equipped, air conditioning and additional weight optional engine
Maximum loaded vehi- cle weight
The sum of: (a) Curb weight (b) Accessory weight (c) Vehicle capacity weight (d) Production options weight
Normal occupant weight
150 lb. (68 kg) times the number of occupants specified in the second column of Table 1* that follows
Occupant distribution Distribution of occupants in a vehicle as speci- fied in the third column of Table 1* below
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Vehicle specifications
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Production options weight
The combined weight of installed regular pro- duction options weighing over 5 lb. (2.3 kg) in excess of the standard items which they replace, not previously considered in curb weight or accessory weight, including heavy duty brakes, ride levelers, roof rack, heavy duty battery, and special trim
Rim A metal support for a tire or a tire and tube assembly upon which the tire beads are seated
Rim diameter (Wheel diameter) Nominal diameter of the bead seat
Rim size designation Rim diameter and width
Rim type designation The industry manufacturer’s designation for a rim by style or code
Rim width Nominal distance between rim flanges Vehicle capacity weight (Total load capacity)
The rated cargo and luggage load plus 150 lb. (68 kg) times the vehicle’s designated seating capacity
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
The load on an individual tire that is deter- mined by distributing to each axle its share of the maximum loaded vehicle weight, and dividing by two
Vehicle normal load on the tire
The load on an individual tire that is deter- mined by distributing to each axle its share of curb weight, accessory weight, and normal occupant weight (distributed in accordance with Table 1* below), and dividing by two
Weather side The surface area of the rim not covered by the inflated tire
Bead The part of the tire that is made of steel wires, wrapped or reinforced by ply cords and that is shaped to fit the rim
Bead separation A breakdown of the bond between compo- nents in the bead
Tire related term Meaning
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Bias ply tire A pneumatic tire in which the ply cords that extend to the beads are laid at alternate angles substantially less than 90 degrees to the centerline of the tread
Carcass The tire structure, except tread and sidewall rubber which, when inflated, bears the load
Chunking The breaking away of pieces of the tread or sidewall
Cord The strands forming the plies in the tire
Cord separation The parting of cords from adjacent rubber compounds
Cracking Any parting within the tread, sidewall, or inner- liner of the tire extending to cord material
CT
A pneumatic tire with an inverted flange tire and rim system in which the rim is designed with rim flanges pointed radially inward and the tire is designed to fit on the underside of the rim in a manner that encloses the rim flanges inside the air cavity of the tire
Extra load tire A tire designed to operate at higher loads and at higher inflation pressures than the corre- sponding standard tire
Groove The space between two adjacent tread ribs
Innerliner The layer(s) forming the inside surface of a tubeless tire that contains the inflating medium within the tire
Innerliner separation The parting of the innerliner from cord material in the carcass
Intended outboard sidewall
(a) The sidewall that contains a whitewall, bears white lettering, or bears manufac- turer, brand, and/or model name molding that is higher or deeper than the same molding on the other sidewall of the tire, or
(b) The outward facing sidewall of an asym- metrical tire that has a particular side that must always face outward when mounted on a vehicle
Tire related term Meaning
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Vehicle specifications
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Light truck (LT) tire A tire designated by its manufacturer as pri- marily intended for use on lightweight trucks or multipurpose passenger vehicles
Load rating The maximum load that a tire is rated to carry for a given inflation pressure
Maximum load rating The load rating for a tire at the maximum per- missible inflation pressure for that tire
Maximum permissible inflation pressure
The maximum cold inflation pressure to which a tire may be inflated
Measuring rim The rim on which a tire is fitted for physical dimension requirements
Open splice Any parting at any junction of tread, sidewall, or innerliner that extends to cord material
Outer diameter The overall diameter of an inflated new tire
Overall width The linear distance between the exteriors of the sidewalls of an inflated tire, including ele- vations due to labeling, decorations, or protec- tive bands or ribs
Passenger car tire A tire intended for use on passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, and trucks, that have a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 10,000 lb. or less.
Ply A layer of rubber-coated parallel cords
Ply separation A parting of rubber compound between adja- cent plies
Pneumatic tire
A mechanical device made of rubber, chemi- cals, fabric and steel or other materials, that, when mounted on an automotive wheel, pro- vides the traction and contains the gas or fluid that sustains the load
Radial ply tire A pneumatic tire in which the ply cords that extend to the beads are laid at substantially 90 degrees to the centerline of the tread
Reinforced tire A tire designed to operate at higher loads and at higher inflation pressures than the corre- sponding standard tire
Tire related term Meaning
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*: Table 1 Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load for various designated seating capacities
Section width The linear distance between the exteriors of the sidewalls of an inflated tire, excluding ele- vations due to labeling, decoration, or protec- tive bands
Sidewall That portion of a tire between the tread and bead
Sidewall separation The parting of the rubber compound from the cord material in the sidewall
Snow tire
A tire that attains a traction index equal to or greater than 110, compared to the ASTM E-1136 Standard Reference Test Tire, when using the snow traction test as described in ASTM F-1805-00, Standard Test Method for Single Wheel Driving Traction in a Straight Line on Snow-and Ice-Covered Surfaces, and which is marked with an Alpine Symbol ( ) on at least one sidewall
Test rim The rim on which a tire is fitted for testing, and may be any rim listed as appropriate for use with that tire
Tread That portion of a tire that comes into contact with the road
Tread rib A tread section running circumferentially around a tire
Tread separation Pulling away of the tread from the tire carcass
Treadwear indicators (TWI)
The projections within the principal grooves designed to give a visual indication of the degrees of wear of the tread
Wheel-holding fixture The fixture used to hold the wheel and tire assembly securely during testing
Tire related term Meaning
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Vehicle specifications
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Designated seating capacity, Number of
occupants Vehicle normal load, Number of occupants
Occupant distribution in a normally loaded
vehicle 2 through 4 2 2 in front
5 through 10 3 2 in front, 1 in second seat
11 through 15 5 2 in front, 1 in second seat, 1 in third seat,
1 in fourth seat
16 through 20 7 2 in front, 2 in second seat, 2 in third seat,
1 in fourth seat
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