Tire Guide

Tire Sidewall

A tires sidewall protects the carcass on the inside and provides a comfortable riding experience due to its flexibility during cornering. The type of tire, size, structure, tread pattern, manufacturer, brand name and other detailed information are marked on the sidewall.

* Click the buttons to see the names and functions of each part.

Brand Name

Product Name

Tire Size

Safety Warning

UTQG

Place of Introduction

DOT

DOT(Department of Transportation)

The "DOT" symbol certifies the tire manufacturer's compliance with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tire safety standards. Tires made in the United States have the DOT serial number located on the inside sidewall near the rim. The letters “DOT” are followed by eight to thirteen letters and/or numbers that identify where the tire was manufactured, tire size and the manufacturer’s code, along with the week and year the tire was manufactured.

UTQG(Uniform Tire Quality Grading)

Treadwear

Each tire shall be graded for treadwear performance with the word ‘‘TREADWEAR’’ followed by a number of two or three digits representing the tire’s grade for treadwear, expressed as a percentage of the NHTSA nominal treadwear value. Treadwear grades shall be expressed in multiples of 20 (for example, 80, 120, 160).

Traction

Each tire shall be graded for traction performance with the word ‘‘TRACTION,’’ followed by the symbols AA, A, B, or C. 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.

Temperature

The temperature grades, from highest to lowest, are A, B and C.These represent the tire’s ability to dissipate heat under controlled indoor test conditions. Any tire rated below C is considered unacceptable.

Tire Size

Tire spec notation varies according to car model but primarily consists of symbols and numbers denoting tire width, aspect ratio, diameter, load index and speed symbol that indicate tire performance.

Place of Introduction

This indicates the region where the tire was manufactured.

Safety Warning

This indicates important information related to tire use.