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General Function of Tires for All Types of Vehicles

Tire Basics | GT Radial Tires

1. Weight-bearing

Air pressure and tire construction are important factors to carry and sustain the weight of vehicles.

Tire Basics | GT Radial Tires

2. Absorb shocks

Air pressure and tire construction reduces initial road vibrations and shocks before being muted again by the suspension.

Tire Basics | GT Radial Tires

3. Delivering power from the engine

Tires serve to deliver power from the engine to move the vehicle and also provides traction and braking performance

Tire Basics | GT Radial Tires

4. Translating steering wheel movement

Tires are very important in controlling the direction of the vehicle, which will determine the maneuvering capability and stability in driving.

Understand tire size

Tires have its 'language' to communicate in the form of a series of numbers and letters to indicating data specification, brand and type. It is universal and has been agreed by all tire manufacturers worldwide.

Here are the meanings of these codes:

  1. Tire width (in mm)
  2. A tire's aspect ratio is the dimensional relationship of the tire's section height to section width, expressed as a percentage.
  3. Diameter of wheel (in inches)
  4. Load Index
  5. Speed Index
Tire Basics | GT Radial Tires
Experience the Performance.

UTQG (Uniform Tire Quality Grades) Rating

The UTQG (Uniform Tire Quality Grades) rating is a labeling requirement by the U.S Department of Transportation for all tire manufacturers. The label of UTQG represents a tire's Treadwear, Traction and Temperature resistance. Traction and temperature resistance ratings are specific performance levels, while treadwear ratings are assigned by manufacturers following tests conducted and are reliable when comparing tires of the same brand.

Tire Basics | GT Radial Tires

The UTQG rating comprises of 3 components

Treadwear:

The treadwear grade indicates the wear rate of a tire and is a comparative rating based on test conducted by tire manufacturers. The grades are not an indication of actual mileage, but can be used as a relative comparison. For example, a grading of 400 should last twice as long as a tire graded 200, given similar driving conditions in the same brand.

Traction:

Traction rating is an indication of a tire's ability to stop while on wet pavement. The braking distance is indicated by ratings of "AA" (highest braking ability), "A", "B" and "C". Traction rating only indicates straight line wet braking and does not indicate wet cornering abilities of the tire.

Temperature:

Temperature resistance rating indicates the tire's ability to withstand heat. It is graded according to a properly inflated and not overloaded tire. It is graded from "C", being the lowest, to "B" and "A" ratings.

Load Index (Symbol and maximum load in Lbs & Kg)

LI Lbs Kgs LI Lbs Kgs LI Lbs Kgs LI Lbs Kgs
71 761 345 81 1019 462 91 1356 615 101 1819 825
72 783 355 82 1047 475 92 1389 630 102 1874 850
73 805 365 83 1074 487 93 1433 650 103 1929 875
74 827 375 84 1102 500 94 1477 670 104 1984 900
75 853 387 85 1135 515 95 1521 690 105 2039 925
76 882 400 86 1168 530 96 1565 710 106 2094 950
77 908 412 87 1201 545 97 1609 730 107 2149 975
78 937 425 88 1235 560 98 1653 750 108 2205 1000
79 963 437 89 1279 580 99 1709 775 109 2271 1030
80 992 450 90 1323 600 100 1764 800 110 2337 1060

Speed Rating (symbol and maximum speed in MpH & KmH)

Note: A "ZR" may appear for tires having a maximum speed capability above 240km/h (150 mph)

- J K L M N P Q R S T H V W Y
MpH 62 68 75 81 87 93 100 113 113 118 130 150 168 188
KmH 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 210 240 270 300

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