Tire Sidewall Labeling - Chevrolet Equinox2011 Owner's Manual

10-44 Vehicle Care

Tire Sidewall Labeling

Useful information about a tire
is molded into its sidewall. The
examples below show a typical
passenger vehicle tire and a
compact spare tire sidewall.
Passenger (P Metric) Tire Example
(A) Tire Size The tire size is
:
a combination of letters and
numbers used to define a
particular tire's width, height,
aspect ratio, construction type,
and service description. See the
Tire Size illustration later in this
section for more detail.
(B) TPC Spec (Tire
Performance Criteria
Specification) Original
:
equipment tires designed to
GM's specific tire performance
criteria have a TPC specification
code molded onto the sidewall.
GM's TPC specifications meet
or exceed all federal safety
guidelines.
(C) DOT (Department of
Transportation) The
:
Department of Transportation
(DOT) code indicates that
the tire is in compliance
with the U.S. Department of
Transportation Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards.
(D) Tire Identification Number
(TIN) The letters and numbers
:
following the DOT (Department
of Transportation) code are the
I n f o r ma t i o n P r o v i d e d b y :
Tire Identification Number (TIN).
The TIN shows the
manufacturer and plant code,
tire size, and date the tire was
manufactured. The TIN is
molded onto both sides of the
tire, although only one side may
have the date of manufacture.
(E) Tire Ply Material
:
of cord and number of plies in
the sidewall and under the tread.
(F) Uniform Tire Quality
Grading (UTQG) Tire
:
manufacturers are required to
grade tires based on three
performance factors: treadwear,
traction, and temperature
resistance. For more information
see Uniform Tire Quality
Grading on page 10 59.
(G) Maximum Cold Inflation
Load Limit
Maximum load
:
that can be carried and the
maximum pressure needed
to support that load.
The type