What Tire Flanks Tell You

May 25, 2020

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When looking at any tire, be it large or small, radial or diagonal, you will find various numbers and figures on its flank. With this information, tire manufacturers tell their customers all they need to know in terms of brand, tread, size, speed index and other important bits and pieces.

Of course, Alliance tires have a large ALLIANCE brand logo in capital letters on their sides. So, when you see that, the first thing you know is: You chose the right brand! Once this is clear, the tire model – or pattern – is the next thing to look for.

Let’s take the innovative tractor tire AGRI STAR II that was launched at the beginning of 2020. You will find this product name to the right of the brand name, in somewhat smaller capital letters. When you notice this name – along with the stunning design of this particular tire – this is yet another confirmation of the perfect choice.

Size, Load, Speed – and Far More!

The ALLIANCE AGRI STAR II is available in 85 and 70 series. This information is given right next to the product name. But the most important information on the tire is definitely the size! The size consists of the following information:

– Tire width (mm).

– Series (the aspect ratio between the tire’s section height and section width in percent). Could be 85, 70, 65 or 60 – the smaller the number the wider the tire is.

– Construction (Radial or Diagonal). R stand for radial; “-” – for diagonal.

– Rim diameter (in inches).

So, to the left of the brand name and logo, you will find the size figures such as 600/70R28 or 460/85R34, for example. 600/70R28 means that the tire is 600 mm wide in 70 series with radial construction and a 28-inch rim. AGRI STAR II is now available in 76 sizes and load indexes for 70-s and 85 series.

Just underneath the size, additional information can be found: R-1W tells you that the tread depth (bar height) is about 20 per cent more than with an R-1 tire, and this in turn makes this tire particularly suitable for damp or even wet and sticky soil conditions.

Next to the tire size, the tire flank also tells you about load index (or load carrying capacity, LCC), maximum tire inflation pressure, and speed rating. In case of the AGRI STAR II, the figures given are 161 D @ 280 kpa and 65 kmph. Whilst the index 161 indicates a maximum load of 4,625 kg per tire, the maximum permissible tire inflation pressure is 280 kpa, or 2.8 bar.

The D speed rating tells you that this tire is capable of delivering 65 km/h on the road, which is an outstanding characteristic for the standard radial tire segment. As modern tractors are increasingly used for the on-road transfers and transportation work, such a high rating in speed is an important criterion when choosing tractor tires.

The flank of the AGRI STAR II also indicates that this tire is a tubeless radial, and an arrow gives the direction of rotation which must be respected when wheels, i.e. rims and tires, are mounted on a tractor. “Stubble Guard” informs you that special compounds further add to the tire’s durability and reliability.

Safety Warning, Production and Legal Marking

You can find a lot of legal information as well as production data at the side wall of any tire. The so-called legal marking is positioned next to the LCC: In case of the AGRI STAR II, E11 stands for the European ECE Type Approval and indicates that this tire was tested and passed European safety standards in the United Kingdom.

Production information is also available at any tire’s sidewall. You can find see the internal mould number going with a letter B or T next to it. B – stands for the bottom part of the mould and T – for the top. On the B-side of a tire, one can find more information about the production:

– Factory name (in this case T – standing for Alliance’s plant in Tirunelveli, India).

– Internal Product reference number.

– Week and year of the production – XXXX (a 4-digit number where the first 2 numbers indicate a week and the last two – the year of production). For example, 0320 stands for week 3 in 2020.

And, last but not least, there is a safety warning on the flank of the tire, drawing the attention to the potential consequences of improper mounting, misapplication, overloading, excessive speed, and incorrect inflation pressure. The maximum inflation pressure during the mounting is indicated as 2.5 Bar.

All this is no “high literature”. Knowing the meaning of these markings, however, can further add to the ease and fun of operating the remarkable AGRI STAR II.