Tire Markings - Mitsubishi Mirage 2017 Owner's Manual

 Sidewall: portion of a tire between the
tread and bead.
 Section width: the linear distance between
the exteriors of the sidewalls of an
inflated tire, excluding elevations due to
labeling, decoration, or protective bands.
 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.
 Ply: a layer of rubber-coated parallel
cords.
 Cord: the strands forming the plies in the
tire.
 Rim: a metal support for a tire or a tire
and tube assembly upon which the tire
beads are seated.
 Rim diameter: nominal diameter of the
bead seat.
 Groove: the space between two adjacent
tread ribs.

Tire Markings

1- Size Designation
2- Service Description
3- Maximum Load
4- Maximum Pressure
5- U.S. DOT Safety Standards Code
(TIN)
6- Treadwear, Traction and Temperature
Grades
Size Designation
EXAMPLE: P215/65R15
Passenger car tire size based on
P
U.S.A. design standards
215 Section width in millimeters (mm)
Aspect ratio in percent (%)
65 Ratio of section height to section
width of tire.
Construction code
• "R" means radial construction.
R
• "D" means diagonal or bias con-
struction.
15 Rim diameter in inches (in)
NOTE
 European/Japanese metric tire sizing is based
on European/Japanese design standards.
Tires designed to these standards have the
tire size molded into the sidewall beginning
with the section width. The letter "P" is
absent from this tire size designation.
Example: 215/65R15 96H.
 LT (Light Truck) -metric tire sizing is based
on U.S.A. design standards. The size desig-
nation for LT-metric tires is the same as for
P-metric tires except for the letters "LT" that
are molded into the sidewall preceding the
size designation.
Example: LT235/85R16.
 Temporary spare tires are high pressure com-
pact spares designed for temporary emer-
gency use only. Tires designed to this
standard have the letter "T" molded into the
sidewall preceding the size designation.
Example: T145/80D18 103M.
Vehicle care and maintenance
Tires
9
9-13