The life of your tires is dependent on many factors, including driving habits, road
conditions, vehicle loading, inflation pressure, maintenance history, speed, and
environmental conditions (even when the tires are not in use).
In addition to regular inspections and inflation pressure maintenance, it is
recommended that you have annual inspections performed once the tires reach
five years old. All tires, including the spare, should be removed from service after
10 years from the date of manufacture, regardless of their condition or state of
wear.

Winter Tires

If driving on snowy or frozen roads, mount all season tires marked “M+S”, snow
tires, or tire chains; reduce speed; and maintain sufficient distance between
vehicles when driving. For winter tires, select the size and load ranges that are
the same as the original tires, and mount them to all four wheels. For tire chains,
install them on the front tires only.

Using the wrong chains, or not properly installing chains, can damage the

brake lines and cause a crash in which you can be seriously injured or killed.
Follow all instructions in this guide regarding the selection and use of tire

chains.

WARNING

Traction devices that are the wrong size or improperly installed can damage your
vehicle’s brake lines, suspension, body, and wheels. Stop driving if they are hitting
any part of the vehicle.

NOTICE

Tire Labeling

The tires that came on your vehicle have a number of markings. Those you

should be aware of are described below.

Glossary of Tire Terminology

Cold Tire Pressure – The tire air pressure when the vehicle has been

parked for at least three hours or driven less than 1 mile (1.6 km).
Load Rating – The maximum load that a tire is rated to carry for a given

inflation pressure.
Maximum Inflation Pressure – The maximum tire air pressure that the tire

can hold.
Maximum Load Rating – The load rating for a tire at the maximum

permissible inflation pressure for that tire.
Recommended Inflation Pressure – The cold tire inflation pressure

recommended by the manufacturer.
Treadwear Indicators (TWI) – The projections within the principal grooves

designed to give a visual indication of the degrees of wear of the tread.

Tire Identification Number (TIN)

The tire identification number (TIN)

is a group of numbers and letters

that look like the example below. TIN

is located on the sidewall of the tire.

DOT B97R FW6X 2209

DOT: This indicates that the tire meets all
requirements of the U.S. Department of
Transportation.
B97R: Manufacturer’s identification mark.
FW6X: Tire type code.
22 09: Date of manufacture.

Year

Week

Tire size

Tire

identification

number (TIN)

Maximum

tire load

Maximum

tire pressure

Tire size

Here is an example of what each marking

means:
215/70R16 100S
• 215: tire width in millimeters
• 70: aspect ratio (tire section height as a

percentage of its width)

• R: tire construction code (radial)
• 16: rim diameter in inches
• 100: load index (code indicating

maximum load tire can carry)

• S: speed symbol (code indicating

maximum speed rating)

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