2. Load & Speed Rating

3. Whether Performance Rating

4. Snow & Ice Signs

5. Tire Brand Name

6. Tire Model (Line) Name

7. Tire Construction Type

8. U.S. D.O.T. Compliance & ID

9. U.S. Load and Pressure Ratings

10. Tire Construction Materials

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When people put custom wheels on their vehicles (e.g. bigger rims) the OEM tire size selector cannot be used anymore, because your tire size may changed. The easiest way of finding out your new sizes is by looking at the current tires you have. On the sidewall of the tire you will see a marking that tells you the size (1). It consists of 3 parts. Tread Width, Aspect Ratio, and Wheel Diameter. For exmple 275/35/R18 like shown on the diagram above (1). 275 is the Tread Width, 35 is the Aspect Ratio, and 18 is the Wheel Diameter.

When you locate the size on your tires, and want to find matching ones from our store, input them in the "Size Selector" as shown.

Click on the drop down menu's, scroll down to the correct figures and click on search. You will be presented with all the tires we have that match the size of your current ones. In case we do not have the size you require, no worries. Just give us a call at 323.661.8473 and talk to one of our qualified profesionals in order to get a quote on your special order.

The tire model or line is usually the name given to a particular tread design. Tread design plays a very important role in the performance of the tire, in terms of grip, road noise etc. For example g-Force® is the name given to tread design by BFGoodrich®. A single tread design can be implemented on tires with different speed and load ratings.
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In our particular example, we can see that the tire is a Radial Tubeless tire (7). A radial-ply tire is a particular design of automotive tire. The design was originally developed by Michelin in 1946. Because of its advantages, it has now become the standard design for essentially all automotive tires.

Tires are not fabricated just from rubber; they would be far too flexible and weak. Within the rubber are a series of plies of cord that act as reinforcement. All common tires (since at least the 1960s) are made of layers of rubber and cords of polyester, steel, and/or other textile materials. This network of cords that gives the tire strength and shape is called the carcass.
In the past, the fabric was built up on a flat steel drum, with the cords at an angle of about +60 and -60 degrees from the direction of travel, so they criss-crossed over each other. They were called cross-ply or bias ply tires. The plies were turned up around the steel wire beads and the combined tread/sidewall applied. The green (uncured) tire was loaded over a curing bladder and shaped into the mould. This shaping process caused the cords in the tire to assume an S shape from bead to bead. The angle under the tread stretched down to about 36 degrees. This was called the Crown Angle. In the sidewall region the angle was 45 degrees and in the bead it remained at 60 degrees. The low crown angle gave rigidity to support the tread and the high sidewall angle gave comfort.

By comparison, radial tires lay all of the cord plies at 90 degrees to the direction of travel (that is, across the tire from lip to lip). This design avoids having the plies rub against each other as the tire flexes, reducing the rolling friction of the tire. This allows vehicles with radial tires to achieve better fuel economy than vehicles with bias-ply tires.
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The maximum load and the maximum inflation pressure are required to be marked on the sidewall of every tire sold in the United States. The load is measured in “pounds” and “kilograms”, while pressure is presented in “pounds per square inch” or “kilopascals”. (9) on diagram.

In the U.S. we usually look at the “imperial” figures as opposed to the “metric” system in Europe.
- On the example diagram you can see that the maximum load of the tire is 975kg or 2149lbs.
- The mximum inflation pressure on the example diagram is 350kpa or 51psi.

Regular passenger tires should usually be inflated to around 35-40 psi. depending on the manufacturer’s suggested levels that can be found on the vehicle’s tire information placard, usually found on the driver’s door or doorjamb. Under inflated or over inflated tires can have hazardous effects on the safety and performance aspects of the vehicle. To ensure safety and long tread life, make sure your tires are always within the recommended pressure rates by checking tire pressure often. For more information on the importance of correct tire pressure, you can read our article on the subject here.
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READ 2 POLYESTER + 2 STEEL + 1 NYLONSIDEWALL 2 POLYESTER (10)

The markings on our example diagram shows that molded into the rubber under the centerline of the tread lies two radial body plies of polyester cord, two belts of angled steel cord and one circumferential cap ply of nylon cord. It also shows that in each sidewall at the widest points between the tire’s inner and outer sidewalls, lie two radial body plies of polyester.
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