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#1
02-04-2004, 03:29 PM
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Question about tire numbers
What exactly do the numbers mean in the tire serial numbers?
Thanks Tim 
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#2
02-04-2004, 03:38 PM
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Also, what size tires are best for my car?
Thanks Tim
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#3
02-04-2004, 03:44 PM
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Tim:
Current tire sizes are width (maxiumum), height in percent of width, and wheel diameter. That means a 205/70/14 is 205 mm wide, the height from rim to tread is 70% of the width, and the wheel is 14 inches. Atual tread width will vary with tire design -- better, more expensive tires will have wider thicker tread that cheap tires. Nice combination of dimensions, eh? 205/70/14 is just about right. You can also use 195/75/14s, but they are a bit tall. The older designation was for width and ratio -- the original tires were roughly 185/85/14 -- nothing like that made to day, and they are rather skinny for that size car in the first place -- they were NOT radial tires, but belted bias ply -- much stiffer than radials. Peter
__________________
1972 220D ?? miles 1988 300E 200,012 1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles 1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000 1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!
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#4
02-04-2004, 07:58 PM
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If you mean the DOT number ... the first few numbers indicate the plant where the tire was made or recapped, the next group I think indicate the identification of the tire ( you would need to have a cross reference from the manufacturer to decode) the last part that is usually in a circle indicates the week of the year and last number of the year. This is important info but you can't tell much since they only use one number to indicate the year. I had a spare Michelin XAS in a 1988 BMW 528e that looked new but since the number ended in 7 and it still had the nibs on it I had to believe it was over 12 years old. It was impossible to tell if it was made in 1987 or 1997. The reason it it looks like it is in a circle is because of the way it is attached to the mold so it can be changed. The other info stays the same so it usually looks different from the date code.
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#6
02-09-2004, 01:08 PM
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I'm replacing my tires too, as soon as spring comes along. Yes, studded snow tires are something you don't want to be caught without in Sweden, especially not in a rwd car with a heavy six-banger in the front. I think the old ones are 175/70/14, probably on the original 5.5" rims. (It's a W114 btw).
I get the feeling that people prefer at least 195 mm tires, but I'm wondering if 175 isn't enough? You get less rolling resistance, but perhaps you lose some of the grip and stability. And if I can keep my car from looking like a BMW M3 with 20" alloys, all the better... I'd love to hear about more people who recently bought new tires, what size did you get?
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