KNOW YOUR TYRE

PROMOTING SAFE USE OF

TYRE.

Presented by FMC OSUEKE (B.Eng)

@ OGSSIAN ABUJA BRANCH MEETING

on 21st July, 2019

“In those days, our grandparents used to
travel long distances with their legs. In
order to alleviate their sufferings, God in
his goodness revealed to John (John
Dunlop) artificial “Legs” called “Tyres”
 WHAT IS A TYRE?

A rubber covering, typically inflated or surrounding

on inflated inner tube, placed round a wheel to form
soft contact with the road.
It is only through the tyres that vehicles make
contact with the road.
Tyres are high motion products, suicidal
when sub- standard.
 TYRE CLASSIFICATION

The road conditions the tyre is suitable for, is marked on the

tyre as described below:

A/S: All-season tyre

A/T: All-terrain tyre
C: Commercial tyres
H/T: Highway/terrain tyre for SUVs
LT: Light truck tyres
M+S or M&S: Mud and snow tyre
P: Passenger car tyres
RF: Reinforced tyres
TL: Tubeless
TT: Tube type, tyre must be used with an inner tube

LIFE SPAN OF A TYRE

If a tyre is used carefully, it losses 20% of its quality after 2
years. At the 3rd year, it losses 50% of its quality. Therefore,
an appropriate life span for tyre replacement is 4 years from
Date of Manufacture (DOM). Unless worn down earlier by
damage, alignment problems or high mileage coverage. Poor
alignment of tyre and unbalanced wheel reduce the tyre life
span.
It is advisable that tyre should be replaced after covering a
maximum of 80,000km even if its yet to met its 4 years life
span.

NEW TYRES BURST TOO!!!

Yes, even new tyres also burst. This is most likely due to the
fact that such tyres have already exceeded their life span.
When unused tyres are kept in bad conditions, or when a car
is parked permanently for a long time, the tyre becomes
weakened and susceptible to burst in motion. Likewise,
countries with varying weather, bad roads and especially hot
and moist land all hasten wear and tear. It is advisable
therefore to suspend tyre in the air when a car is not in use for
a long time.

HOW TO KNOW THE EXPIRY DATE OF A TYRE

Many people today use vehicles but don’t know much about
them, this includes the expiration date of their vehicle tyre,
thereby exposing them to risk.
Tyre expiration date is usually indicated on the tyre side
walls. It comes in four digits, indicating the week and year of
manufacture e.g *0518*. The first two of the four digits
numbers shows the week of production while the last two
shows the year of production. So if the number is *0518* it
means the tyre was produced in the 5th week (first week of
February) of the year 2018
In Nigeria, tyre can be used for about 5 years from this date
of manufacture. Add 5 years to calculate expiry date.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR?

Date code
Load Index
Speed Index
Pattern Depth
Appearance
Bar chart
Traction Code
TWI - Tread Wear Indicators
Temperature Code
ADV or Animal Driven Vehicle Tyres
Beware of Speed limits
 NEED TO KNOW

• BLOW OUT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR 65% OF

ACCIDENTS DUE TO TYRE FAILURE

• TYRE FAILURE IS THE SECOND

MAJOR REASON FOR ACCIDENT
TYRE PRESSURE
Maintaining the correct tyre pressure will help to extend the
life of your tyre, improves vehicle safety and maintains fuel
efficiency.
Tyre pressure is measured by calculating the amount of air
that has been pumped into the inner lining of tyre in pounds
per square inch (PSI) or Bar pressure. Vehicle manufacturers
always specify the suitable pressure for the various sizes of
tyre; and it is the responsibility of the driver to make sure
that the recommended pressure is checked and maintained on
a regular basis. This is recommended to be done every two
week.
PROPER INFLATION
Tyres are designed to carry loads up to the maximum
specified at the inflation pressure for a desired deflection,
road contact and tread wear. Any neglect of the
recommended inflation pressure may result to one or more of
serious tyre failures or loss of tyre life potency.
Load carrying capacity of a tyre cannot be increased
above the maximum rated capacity by merely increasing
its inflation pressure. To do this is to over inflate.
OVER INFLATION- Over inflated tyre does not flex
as designed or absorb shocks, they are more prone to cuts,
and rapid centre wear.

UNDER INFLATION- Under inflation results in

excessive flexing of tyre, excessive heat generation and rapid
shoulder wear.
*Never “bleed” or reduce air pressure when tyres are hot.
*Make sure all tyre/tubes valves are equipped with valve
caps to keep dirty and moisture away.
*Inflation irregularities accounts for 78% of tyre
maintainance problems.
• Only 2% of tyres get worn to the grooves
7% Due to other abnormal wear
• 6% Injury by obstacles are due to
• 7% other reasons
A car loses up to 2 psi each month and 2 psi for every
10 degrees temperature drop
– Rubber manufacturer’s association, U.S
– Under inflation can lead to tyre blow out.
– Loss of control/tyre blow out accounts for about
30% of road accidents in Nigeria
– FRSC research
TYRE CONTACT WITH THE ROAD
NORMAL INFLATION TYRE
CONTACT PROFILE
HOW TO READ A TYRE
Tyre Type
Defines the proper use of the tyre. P (or no letter at
all) means this is a passenger car tyre. LT means it is
for a light truck. The letter R in the middle of figures
e.g. 235R16 means tyre is Radial (Steel Belted). No R
means cross-ply
Tyre Width
Width of the tyre measured in millimetres from sidewall
to sidewall.
READING A TYRE Contd.
Aspect Ratio
Ratio of the height of the tyre’s
cross-section to its width. 65
means that the height is equal to
65% of the tyre’s width.

Heat resistance- Letter “A”,

“B” or “C” on tyre wall
indicates its rate of resistance to
heat. “A” is most heat resistant
tyre, best for tropical country
like Nigeria while “C” is lowest,
best for temperate (cold)
regions.
Wheel Diameter
The width of the wheel from one end to
the other. The diameter of this wheel is 15
inches.

Load Index
Indicates the maximum load in pounds
that a tyre can support when properly
inf lated. You will also find the maximum
load in pounds and in kilograms
elsewhere on the tyre sidewall.
Speed Rating
Shows the maximum service speed
for a tyre. H means that the tyre
has a maximum service speed of
130mph. Please note that this
rating relates only to tyre speed
capability, and is NOT a
recommendation to exceed legally
posted speed limits; always drive
within the legal speed limits.
TABLE 2: CORRELATION BETWEEN SPEED
CODE AND SPEED CATEGORY
SPEED CODE SPEED CATEGORY (Km/h)
F 80
G 90
J 100
K 110
L 120
M 130
N 140
P 150
Q 160
R 170
S 180
T 190
U 200
H 210
V 240
 EXPLANATION OF DOT

 DOT as a word means Department of Transport

(United State Federal Standards Code for
Transportation Acts and Regulations).

 The DOT mark on tyres is part of the side wall

markings which begins with letters “DOT” and
indicates that the tyre meets all standards
requirements for transport. The next two numbers
or letters are the plant code where it was
manufactured.
TYRE ROTATION (Need to equalize wear)
Experts recommend tyre rotation at first 7500 miles
(12,000km) and every 15000 miles (24,000km).
 IMPORTED USED/SUBSTANDARDTYRES

USED TYRES
Tyres classified from country of origin by legislation
as “OFF THE ROAD”, exhibit bad water dispersal,
poor temperature (more than C), poor traction, cannot
withstand pressure and the like (Deformed)
The are Cheap but dangerous (Time-bomb)

SUBSTANDARD TYRES
Aged Tyres > 5yrs
Animal Driven Vehicle Tyres (ADV)
Below International Standards
Display of cracks, blisters, chunks e.t.c
Seized Substandard Tyres being Off-
loaded for Shredding by SON Officials
 DANGERS OF SUBSTANDARD TYRES Contd.

(1) Deaths from Accidents

. - Nigeria is ranked 191 out of 192 countries in the

world with un-safe roads with 162 death rate per

100,000 population from road traffic accidents. –
FRSC
- Worldwide, 1.3 million people are killed
annually. Over 50 million people sustain
different degrees of injuries. – WHO
 - The lifespan of a tyre in Europe and America
ranges between four years and five years, and an
average European or American will remove his
tyres, even if they have not covered 10,000 Km,
for safety reasons. Our people go to those sites
where they keep tyres to pick them; actually they
don’t buy them. – The Guardian, 2013
SubstandardTyresContd.
 UNTOWARD PRACTICES

 Deceitful packaging (wrapping)

 Deceitful pattern design
 Washing with coal tar
 Buffing off DOT etc..
 Coal – tarring
 TIPS IN CASE OF TYRE BLOW-OUT IN MOTION
- Do not panic
- Remove your leg from the accelerator pedal to reduce
speed
- Hold your steering firmly with your two hands
- Do not apply break
- Be alert and conscious of your environment
- After the speed has been drastically reduced, gradually
bring the vehicle to a stop and park safely.
- N/B High speed compounds the problem with blow out
tyres, keep to the speed limit always
 CONCLUSION

IMPORTERS - Import Only Good Quality Tyres

- Go through SONCAP Certification
DEALERS - Stock only Good Quality Tyres
- Store your Tyres well to avoid damage
CONSUMERS -Demand for only Good Quality Tyres
- Avoid used Tyres, they are time Bombs
REGULATORS - Be more strict in regulating Tyres.

THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS