Any Tire Experts Know what these Letters/Numbers mean

[BlurayFanatic]

Hi

Vehicle is

2002 Gmc jimmy 4x4
Tire size now P235-70-R15
Can upgrade to 235-75-15

Heres the Problem,The Dunlop Tires I want have two Differen't Tires I can use

1,P235/75/R15 105S
2,LT235/75/R15 LRC

I know the "P" stands for Passenger Car and "LT" Means Light Truck

But I have had these Laredo tires on since I bought it in 2006 and haven't had a problem pulling anything with the SUV full.

The truck wieghts 2060Pounds

I don't know what "LRC" Means in LT235/75/R15 I have looked everywhere

I know What "105" means but don't know what the "S" stands for
Does a Member Know what Load Rating "LRC" Means and what does the "S" stand for in 105S

I plan on buying the tires today,Also do they really make a all season tire with Winter Built in.Thats what the tire says on the side wall

[jw]

could be a model code , like computers have a model #

[blujacket]

Go here. Everything you need to know about tires.

http://www.tirerack.com/about/techcenter.jsp

[Verkman]

Originally Posted by blujacket

Go here. Everything you need to know about tires.

http://www.tirerack.com/about/techcenter.jsp

You know you're a redneck when you spend hours on there and never look at a tire under 38x12.50x15...

I've gotten lost in the wonderment of that site before. I see some of the mud tires on there and I simply drool on my keyboard...

It's a great site to learn all kinds of interesting things about tires.

Soon enough stuff'age will mean an entirely different thing and you'll wonder if you can slap 35's on your car... I'll stop here since my neck is getting a little red.


To the original poster. Wider is always better in my opinion. It not only fills up the hub it can often put a little character into a Jimmy. The Jimmy's and Blazers are known to sometimes have some monster flares and the tires look like they're hugging the frame. But, if you're doing a lot of highway miles in relative dry environments and little moisture, pizza cutters will work well enough. The previous poster has it right. The wider the tire the smoother the ride, but also you have to watch the air pressure so the sidewalls don't get damaged and cut bad when taking corners.

Oh, and there is a difference between Winter and All season's, but there are so many variations of both. All season tires are exactly what they're called. They perform adequately in all seasons. You can't really go wrong with a good winter tire. They'll last you a while as long as they see less pavement and more snow. I run Mud+Snows on my Silverado in the winter and All Season's in Construction season. We only have those two seasons up here...

...Spring, Summer, and Fall are just fancy words for Construction, Construction, and Construction.

Just be sure about tire width though. The last thing you want is rubbing anywhere. Smaller SUV's can have small hubs. My personal experience is with nothing smaller than 1/2 ton pickup, so my input should be taken with many grains of salt.

Hope you made a decision and I hope some of the comments here helped you. Tires are very important to a vehicle and they can make a world of difference in driving comfort and noise.

And make sure to drive it like you stole it. Break those tires in!

[phlydude]

"S" is the speed rating (up to 112 mph)
105 tires can hold up to 2039 lbs of weight

I couldn't tell you what LRC means

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...jsp?techid=35&

EDIT - found it - it is Load Range C (means it will hold maximum weight when inflated to 50 psi)
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/tirespecskey.jsp

[Uniquely]

P = passenger

LT = light truck

S is the speed rating.

LRC is the load rating.

The first number in a tire size is the width of the tread in millimeters. The second number is the height of the sidewall as a percentage of the width. the last number is the rim size in inches. This is not exact however, as a 235-60-15 will be a wider tire than a 235-75-15.

I'd stick with the 235-70 instead of the 235-75 because you will have more rubber on the road and the lower sidewall will provide better handling.

[BrendonR]

Originally Posted by robinandtami

The first number in a tire size is the width of the tread in millimeters. The second number is the height of the sidewall as a percentage of the width. the last number is the rim size in inches. This is not exact however, as a 235-60-15 will be a wider tire than a 235-75-15.

robinandtami - Can you explain why to me a 235/60 is wider than a 235/75? The 235 is a measurement of the width of the tire at the widest point on the sidewall after it's been mounted to a specific wheel size.

If it's been mounted, and then rated at a 235 - then is it not 235 mm wide? I'm a little confused here.

WAIT!!!!!

I think i just understood - because the sidewall is shorter (60% aspect vs. 75% aspect) the tire bulges out less, so to be rated a 235 - it would have to have a wider tire contact patch.

However there's a couple things to consider when you think of the height of the tire.... yes a shorter sidewall will mean better handling - however, the shorter your tire, the worse your RIDE quality will get, and the more likely to damage a rim when you hit a bump, or pothole.

[Uniquely]

Originally Posted by BrendonR

However there's a couple things to consider when you think of the height of the tire.... yes a shorter sidewall will mean better handling - however, the shorter your tire, the worse your RIDE quality will get, and the more likely to damage a rim when you hit a bump, or pothole.

That is true.... but in the case of the OP... the height difference between a 70 and a 75 won't make a difference in ride quality. It really won't make much of a difference in handling either... but my personal preference is to have as much rubber on the road as I can.

[BrendonR]

Originally Posted by robinandtami

That is true.... but in the case of the OP... the height difference between a 70 and a 75 won't make a difference in ride quality. It really won't make much of a difference in handling either... but my personal preference is to have as much rubber on the road as I can.

This is very true...

I drive a 2008 Liberty Limited running on 235/60R18s.... I don't think I would want ANY less side-wall than I have now. But with 15" rims, and a 70/75 debate... probably not going to notice much of a difference.

However... IMHO - ride quality should always be #1 on an SUV - You're really not driving like a bat-out-of-heck, and wouldn't want the sidewall that you do on a BMW.


OP - it's up to you... for better handling/steering response, you probably want the 70's. for better/smoother ride quality, you'd go for the 75's.