What do the coloured stripes on the tires mean?
A car owner, who has ever purchased tires, may wonder what the colored stripes or colored circles on the tires mean, or exactly on their sidewalls. There are also triangles, blue and sometimes white dots. What are these symbols for and what do they mean?
It’s very simple. All kinds of signs are balancing marks – they are needed to most accurately balance the tire together with the rim. The purpose of the marks are prescribed in the documents that regulate the order of production, marking and operation of the tires within the Russian Federation.
On this basis, you may ask a logical question: what color should the label have? The documents regulating these issues within the Russian Federation, do not contain any mention of the color. Probably due to the fact that the GOST, which was created back in 1984, to the present day has reached without significant amendments.
Marking of car tires
How to correctly use the color of the balance marking, and which of the marks should coincide with the valve? Well-known tire manufacturer Bridgestone explains it this way:
- The yellow dot on the side of the tire Is the generally accepted marking of the lightest part of the tire. When mounting the tire to the rim, align the lightest part on the tire with the heaviest part on the rim, which is the nipple. This is the most correct way to balance the tire.
- The red dot is often found on tires that come with the original (factory) modification of the car. It means the ultimate force inhomogeneity. It can appear as a result of all kinds of joints of all layers of rubber.
- Wheel rims that are fitted as standard equipment also have a minimum distance between the rim and the center of the wheel (white dot or other marking), and when the wheel is fitted, the red marking on the wheel rotates with the red marking on the wheel. This is to reduce extreme force inhomogeneity. Matching the marks ensures optimum force performance of the wheel assembly.
- Stamp (white), which has a number Indicates the number of the inspector who was responsible for the final inspection of the tire at the factory. No more than that.
- Strips of different colors placed on the tire tread Needed to identify the tires that are stacked (store, warehouse, etc.).
- Every size tire has its own color, thickness, and location of the stripes. Although the bars are sometimes different, depending on the country of manufacture, the date of manufacture and the tire specification, even on tires with an identical tread pattern and size.
Choosing the tires
Buyers should first pay attention to the inscriptions on the sidewall of the tire: tread pattern, size, country of manufacture, specification, and more. The lines on the tread serve only as factory values, and the average buyer should not focus his attention on them. It is enough just to keep in mind the following information:
- The color-coded stripes on the tire tread do not provide important information for both the consumer and the tire dealer.
- It is advisable to align the yellow tire mark (tire sidewall) with the valve (wheel rim) at the time of tire service procedures.
Now we know what the colored marks on the tires mean. Not every dot should be taken into consideration by the buyer.
One of the colored marks may be taken into consideration during mounting. Depending on the color of the dot, you should place the nipple in alignment with the marking or on the opposite side of the tire.
However, the dots must always be present on the tire as a sign that the tire has been subjected to all the necessary procedures in the factory during manufacture. Otherwise, the missing points should alert both the buyer and the car mechanic, who will mount the tire on the disk, because in this case we can talk about non-compliance with production standards.
Garage myths: why are there colored stripes and dots on the tires?
There are lots of explanations: they could be a kind of rubber or mark the defective batch, which for some reason was on sale. There’s even an opinion that the tires without such bands are a guaranteed off-grade. All this is a fantasy.
The bars may be of different width, color and location. But they have one thing in common. Note: the stripe always runs all the way around the circumference of the tire. And the paint never gets into the grooves. What kind of a painter would be too lazy to do this “artistically” on every tire?
If a spray gun had sprayed paint on a rotating tire, the stripes would have been perfectly aligned. These aren’t exactly evenly applied. Does that mean they are applied by hand?
If a spray gun had sprayed paint on a rotating tire, the stripes would have been perfectly aligned. These aren’t exactly evenly applied. Does that mean they are applied by hand?
Who draws the stripes on the tires?
The stripes appear at the production stage of the tire.
In the assembly shop, the airtight layer and the textile cords are gradually applied to the tire assembly drum and the bead rings are assembled. Then come the sidewalls and the metalcord bracing, and then the tread layer. The tread layer characteristics have an effect on the tire: it may be soft even in the most severe frosts, or quite hard and wear-resistant in hot weather. This is why it is very important to ensure that the correct tread strip is fitted to the tire before it is vulcanized. This is why coloured stripes are applied to the strips of raw tread still in the precasting shop.
The assembled tire is then run into the vulcanizing mould. On the outside, the tire is compressed into sections with a knife-type relief. This relief will then form hollows, grooves and slots in the tire, cutting the colored bands. Then, under internal pressure and high temperature, the tire is vulcanized. And then the finished product is removed from the mold.
On the surface of the tread, the colored stripes are cut with sipes. The temperature and the shifting of the layers of still wet rubber cause the strips to twist slightly to the side. But they are there, and they are closed circles.
On the surface of the tread, the colored stripes are cut with sipes. The temperature and the shifting of the layers of still wet rubber cause the strips to twist slightly to the side. But they are there, and they are closed circles.
The second time, the strips are ready to serve in storage. The tires are in an upright position, standing in gigantic rows, with no size designations or even tire manufacturers visible. Therefore, instead of looking at the tread patterns and speculating about their asymmetry or orientation, it is easier for the staff in the warehouse to identify the type of tire and unload the ones they need. However, some tire models have no stripes at all.
Some manufacturers use alphanumeric designations that are not as pretty and cryptic. See the symbols in the central part of the tread?
Some manufacturers use alphanumeric designations that are not as pretty and cryptic. See the symbols in the central part of the tread?
How are the bars useful to the customer?
Tires are sometimes sold in pieces, especially in the markets, it’s a fact. I have encountered a situation where tires produced not only in different weeks, but also in different years were sold as one set. But it is considered better to mount the tires from one set on the car. This is where the stripes on the tires for the third time can come in handy.
Colored dots
Yellow or white dots indicate the lightest segment of the tire. And pay attention: on asymmetric tires, it is always placed on the outside. Why? To mount it near a valve, which makes the wheel slightly heavier at this point. Then less weights are needed for balancing.
There are also red dots. It’s a myth that this is the hardest place of the tire. In fact, this is the place with the largest radius. A tire is never quite perfect, and some part of the tread is slightly higher than the rest of the racetrack. An experienced tire fitter will try to reduce the total runout of the wheel by aligning the small radius spot on the wheel with this red dot. The task is quite difficult and requires first “spinning” the wheel separately.
The colored markings on the tires are a kind of cheat sheet for the warehouse staff, the tire fitter and for the car owner. The main thing is to know how to read them.
