Know your tire

Tires are the only contact points between the vehicle and the road. The wear on the tires depend on various factors like,

1) The average speed at which you drive. Higher speeds means higher rate of wear due to higher temperatures

2) The condition of the suspension and the brakes. A less effective suspension means the tires have to bear the extra grunt and thus leading to more wear.

3) Tire inflation and wheel alignment.

4) Road surface temperature. A hotter road surface leads to more tire wear.

Tire Size codes:

There is something like this written on the side walls of your tires: P206/76R-13. These are what the letters and numbers mean.

P: means “Passenger”. It refers to the applicable size of the vehicle. Other codes include LT meaning “Light truck”.

206: Refers to the tire section width measured across the tread from one side wall to another in millimeters.

76: Refers to the aspect ratio. Aspect ratio is the ratio of the height of the sidewall to its width. In this case the height of the sidewall is 76% its width. Tires with aspect ratio lesser than 70 are referred to as “low profile” tires which are often seen in racing cars.

R: Tire type which in this case is “Radial”. Other types include B meaning “Bias-belted” or E meaning “elliptic”.

13: Refers to the tire diameter measured in inches. In this case the diameter of the wheel is 13 inches.