I was doing my usual research in how to better Buy Tires Online and found this over at discount-tire-company. Very nice information!
Ever wonder what the spec code on yor tires really meant? Well according to the discount-tire-company this is what it means.
1) The first spot represents the type of vehicle. P for passenger cars and LT for light trucks and SUV’s
2) The second spot number(185 in this example) is the tire cross-section width in millimeters
3) The third spot (60 in this example) is the aspect ratio: The tire sidewall height to the cross-section width. For a smoother ride, choose this number to be bigger. A smaller number here gives a crisper handling.
4) The fourth spot is the max speed rating H = 130 miles per hour
Q = 99 miles per hour
S = 112 miles per hour
T = 118 miles per hour
v = 149 miles per hour
Z = 150 miles per hour
5) R in the fifth spot means that it’s a radial-ply tire. Other choices here are D (diagonal) or B (belted bias). If this spot has no letter at all, it means that it is a radial-ply tire.
6) And the final number is the diameter of the tire hole in inches. A point to note that this is NOT the outer diameter. So if you were looking for a rim/wheel to fit on a 14″ tire, you would pick the rim/wheel to be 14″ as well.
7) Sometimes, there is an additional number at the end. (E.g. P185/60HR14 89). This last number represents a load index. The bigger this number, the more the load the tire can safely carry. When replacing your tire, make sure that the new tire has at least the same load index as what you had before.
So if you see those numbers why you go to Buy Tires Online don't fear, becausenow you know what they mean.