Tire Sidewall Code Decoder for Customers

Turns the letters and numbers molded into a tire's sidewall into a plain English explanation a customer can follow.

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Before and after

BEFORE · what the owner typed

customer Beatrice Wilcox at Wheatmoor Tire & Wheel here in Eastglen, 3280 Starmoor Ave, phone 319-555-0162. she has a 2014 Hyundai Sonata, silver, and wants to know what the stuff on her tire means cause she is thinking about buying the same ones again. todays date is June 10 2025. tire is a Kumho Solus TA31. here's what I wrote down off the sidewall: P215/55R17 93V. DOT line ends 2118. treadwear 540 traction A temp A. door jamb sticker says 215/55R17 and I didnt write down the load or speed on it.

AFTER · what the skill produced

Hi Beatrice, here is what is printed on the tire on your silver 2014 Hyundai Sonata, a Kumho Solus TA31.

Tire size: P215/55R17

P means it is a passenger car tire.
215 is how wide the tire is, in millimeters, from sidewall to sidewall.
55 is the height of the sidewall as a percent of the width. Here it is 55 percent of 215.
R means radial construction, the common build for cars today.
17 is the wheel diameter in inches. This tire fits a 17 inch wheel.

Load index and speed rating: 93V

93 is the load index. It is a code that maps to how much weight one tire can carry.
V is the speed rating, a code for the top speed the tire was tested for.
We recommend confirming the exact load and speed figures on the tire maker's chart.

Build date: the DOT line ends in 2118, which means the tire was made in week 21 of 2018. As of June 10, 2025, that is about seven years old. We recommend having our technician inspect it, since it is older than six years.

Grades

Treadwear 540: a comparison number from the tire maker, used to compare tires from the same maker. It is not a promise of mileage.
Traction A: this is a grade for stopping on wet pavement.
Temperature A: this is a grade for how well the tire handles heat.

Does it match your Sonata? Your door jamb sticker lists 215/55R17, and that matches the size on the tire. We have not yet compared the load index and speed rating to the vehicle's recommended figures.

Our recommendation: since you are thinking of buying the same tire again, we recommend we check the load index and speed rating against your Sonata's placard before you order, and have our technician inspect your current tires.

Questions? Call Wheatmoor Tire & Wheel at 319-555-0162.

Questions for the owner

What load index and speed rating does the Sonata's door jamb sticker or owner's manual list, so we can compare them to 93V?

What it does

Turns the letters and numbers molded into a tire's sidewall into a plain English explanation a customer can follow. Covers the size, load index, speed rating, DOT code and build date, and the wear, traction and temperature grades when they are given.

Use it when: Use when a tire shop needs to explain the codes printed on a tire sidewall to a customer, such as: what does this tire code mean, decode this tire, explain the size, load index, speed rating, or DOT date on this tire.