By: Rudy Silva
Submitted: 2010-09-07 22:41:00 | Word Count: 621
Selecting the right Light truck tires is crucial to your driving experience. You neither want to compromise safety nor quality in your light truck. If you need to change your tires, it is best to know the basics of tires, so that when you go to a tire dealer shop, you already know which set of tires to buy.
It is wise not to go to any tire dealers unless you know what you are looking for. Some sales agents may take advantage of your ignorance in tires. They may try to sell you the tires which are not really the best for your light truck.
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There are four basic specificaiton that you should know about tires, and that include your light truck tires. These are the tire size, the quality grades given by the Department of Transportation or DOT, the speed rating, and the care and maintenance.
To know your tire size, you only have to check the sidewall of your current tire. If your current tire is for light truck, then the tire size should appear like this: LT285/70TR/17. LT stands for light truck, and the first set of number indicates the width of your tire in millimeters. Hence, the higher the number, the wider the tire.
TR stands for tire radial, or in some cases, you would only see “R”. The second set of number refers to the ratio of the width of your tire to the height of the sidewall. So, in our example, the sidewall height would be 70% of 285 millimeters. If the ratio is lower, the sidewall height is also lower. The last set of the number represents the wheel diameter or rim size.
The height of your sidewall is crucial. In choosing the light truck tires, you have to base your tire height on the road conditions that you often drive your truck. If you drive on a street most of the time, then you only need a low profile truck tire.
But if you go on off-road more often, then you have to choose your tires in between your rim and the ground. This way, you will not have to bottom out on your rims when your tires encounter rough objects off the road.
The DOT considers three elements in giving out quality grades. These elements are the treadwear, traction, and temperature. The treadwear is expressed in hundreds to provide a good indication of how long the tread of the tires last. The higher the treadwear number, the longer the tread life.
The traction is the ability of the tire to stop on wet pavement. AA is the best, followed by A, and B. C is the worst grade. The same system is used in temperature, in which A is the best and C is the poorest. The temperature rating represents the light truck tires’ resistance to the heat generation and the tire’s ability to dissipate heat.
The speed rating of tires can be confusing at times. It is expressed in a letter and follows the tire size on the sidewall. For light truck tires, a load range is listed on the sidewall. It is normally expressed in C, D or E. For lasting tires, you have to follow the preventive care and maintenance provided by your dealer. You will learn more about it from the manual that comes when you buy your tire.
Author Resource:-
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