Tire Pressure

Your tires should be inflated to the air pressure recommended by your car or truck manufacturer.  The correct pressure can be found in your owner’s manual or on your doorpost.  You should use your own tire gauge and check your tire pressure monthly and before long trips.  Tires should be checked when they are cold.

 

Side Wall Letters/Numbers

An example of a tire sidewall abbreviation is:

P 205/55 R 16 89G M&S

P - Indicates tire type. (P indicates passenger car, LT indicates light truck)
205 - This indicates the tire width measured in millimeters from sidewall to sidewall.
55 - This is the tire's aspect ratio.  (55 means that the tires height is 55% of the tires width)
R - This letter indicates that the tire is radial construction.
89 - This is the load index, which indicates the maximum load the tire can support when inflated correctly.
G - This is the speed rating for the tire. 
M&S - This means the tire meets the Rubber Manufacturers Association’s standard for a mud and snow tire.

 

DOT Codes

All tires have a 4-digit DOT code which indicates the date that it was manufactured. The first two digits are the week number, and the last two digits are the year.

Example: DOT 3307 indicates that the tire was made in the 33rd week of the year 2007.

 

Tire Rotation

Tires should be rotated every 5,000 to 6,000 miles.  Four wheel drive vehicle tires should be rotated sooner.

We recommend that you have a trained professional rotate your tires.