Rims and tires

Location of the arrow indicating the direction of rotation of the tire

Tire marking location

Tires and rims (on disc wheels) are important building blocks of a vehicle.

Mounting and repairing tires requires special tools and professional skills. These works should only be carried out by professionals.

For reasons of traffic safety, if possible, change the tires not individually, but at least on the axles. Less worn tires should always be placed on the front wheels.

All four wheels should only have radial tires of the same design, same size (with the same circumference) and, if possible, the same design of the tire profile. If there is a tread pattern that determines the direction of rotation of the tires, there are arrows on the side of the tire (see fig. Location of the arrow indicating the direction of rotation of the tire). In this case, the direction of tire rotation must be strictly observed. At the same time, optimal driving characteristics of the tire are ensured, its grip on wet road surfaces and wear and noise generated by the tire are reduced. If, when replacing a punctured wheel, a tire with rotation against the specified one is temporarily installed, then its use in this mode should be short-term.


On a four-wheel drive vehicle, in addition, all tires must be the same model from the same manufacturer.

Otherwise, the visco clutch, due to the resulting difference in the speed of the wheels of both axles, will undesirably increase the share of traction attributable to the rear axle. This may lead to breakage.

The different tread depths of the front and rear tires, for example as a result of wear, are not so important. However, it is recommended to install tires with a higher tread depth on the front wheels - if the front tires are worn more than the rear tires, they have a smaller circumference and rotate, therefore, faster. Therefore, there are additional stresses in the transmission, and the tires wear out faster.

If the spare wheel tire is different in design from the rest of the vehicle tires (for example, winter or wide-profile), then such a spare wheel should only be used for a short time in the event of a failure of one of the vehicle's tires and with a corresponding increased caution in driving. Instead of such a wheel, the old wheel should be installed again as soon as possible.

Never put a used tire on a car if you don't know where and how it worked before.

Knowing the tire markings helps when choosing them (see fig. Tire marking location). Radial tires have the following markings on the tire sidewall, for example:

195/65 R 15 91 T

• 195 - tire profile width, mm
• 65 - the ratio of the height of the tire to the width of the profile%
• R - arrangement of carcass cords - letter designation for radial tire
• 15 - disk rim diameter, inch
• 91 - index of permissible load capacity
• T - speed index

Speed index	Max speed
Q	160 km/h
S	180 km/h
T	190 km/h
H	210 km/h
V	240 km/h
W	270 km/h

The release date is also printed on the sidewall of the tire (in some cases only on the inner surface of the tire).

DOT CUL UM8-507 TUBELESS

• DOT - manufacturer
• CU - manufacturer code
• L2 - tire size
• UM8 - tire type
• 507 - date of manufacture (50th week 1997)
• TUBELESS - tubeless tire (TUBETYPE - chamber).

Designation of rims: 6J x 15 are decrypted as follows:

• 6J - wheel width in inches;
• J - height of the side edge of the disk;
• X - deep disk;
• 15 - the diameter of the disc in inches.