Tyre Marks explained

The purpose of the writings that you'll see on the sidewall of your tires is to help you identify the size and specification of the tires correctly and to confirm that the tire has been tested and approved to European and other country safety standards. Each car uses a certain tire specification always stated in the manual. The letters and numbers on the side of your car tires relate to their size, dimensions, composition and capabilities.

Let us take 165/65 R14  79T as an example as shown:

     165 - Tyre width in mm
     65 - Tyre sidewall profile – sidewall height expressed as a percentage of its width
     R - Radial (rather than a cross ply)
     14 - Diameter of the wheel rim, in inches
    79 - maximum load carrying capacity per tire, in this case equates to 437 kg (see charts below)

    T - equates to a speed rating of 190 km/h (approximately 118 mph)  (see charts below)

Run-flat tires are increasingly popular. If you have a puncture on your journey, a run-flat tire supports the vehicle weight so you can travel for another 50 miles or so, at a maximum speed of 50 mph.
There are many markings that could indicate your tire is a run-flat tire, including DSST, RFT, ROF and RunFL. Run-flat tires and traditional car tires should not be mixed on the same car, as it could affect the handling.
Tyre-safe advises run-flat tires should not be used on cars without a tire pressure monitoring system, which is used to alert you of a deflation or puncture.
It also warns against using run-flat tires when towing, as they're only designed to support the weight of the vehicle itself.



Since 2000, the week and year the tire was produced has been provided by the last four digits of the Tire Identification Number with the 2 digits being used to identify the week immediately preceding the 2 digits used to identify the year. In the example below:

27 Manufactured during the 27th week of the year
04 Manufactured during 2004