Tire Designations; Tire Size; Tire Terminology And Definitions - Cadillac 2014 CTS Owner's Manual

Maximum load that
can be carried and the
maximum pressure needed to
support that load.
The following is an example of a
typical passenger vehicle

tire size.

The United States version of a
metric tire sizing system. The
letter P as the first character in
the tire size means a passenger
vehicle tire engineered to
standards set by the U.S. Tire
and Rim Association.
The three-digit
number indicates the tire section
width in millimeters from
sidewall to sidewall.
A two-digit
number that indicates the tire
height-to-width measurements.
For example, if the tire size
aspect ratio is 60, as shown in
item 3 of the illustration, it would
mean that the tire's sidewall is
60 percent as high as it is wide.
code is used to indicate the type
of ply construction in the tire.
The letter R means radial ply
construction; the letter D means
diagonal or bias ply
construction; and the letter B
means belted-bias ply
construction.
the wheel in inches.
characters represent the load
index and speed rating of the
tire. The load index represents
the load carrying capacity a tire
is certified to carry. The speed
rating is the maximum speed a
tire is certified to carry a load.
air inside the tire pressing
outward on each square inch of
A letter
the tire. Air pressure is
expressed in kPa (kilopascal)
or psi (pounds per square inch).
combined weight of optional
accessories. Some examples of
optional accessories are
Diameter of
These
The amount of
The