Tyre markings

What is written on the sidewall of a tyre

As a rule, a tyre’s sidewall carries a great many markings, and they are not always easy for the average motorist to understand. What deserves special attention, and which information is actually useful and important?

The clearest to a motorist are the make, the model and the tyre size - most of us choose tyres for the car by these parameters above all. More advanced motorists also look at the speed rating and load index. That is why all of this information is printed on the sidewall in large type, while the rest of the data about the tyre is usually in small print, and finding a specific parameter can often be difficult. So what else is worth knowing about?

Let us try to list the other markings on a tyre worth noticing, in order of priority. It is important to understand here that the two sidewalls of one tyre are often different, meaning they carry different information that complements each other. So you will need to look the tyre over from both sides.

To get more detailed information about the parameters below, click the heading or the picture.