Tire marking

The load index (LI) quantifies the load capacity of your car tire. At the specified tire pressure of 2.5 bar, each tire is assigned a load capacity. The load index (LI) decreases with lower tire pressure. 

Underinflated tires pose a safety risk because of increased friction. As a result, your vehicle can no longer be steered well. In the worst case, the tire may even burst.

An overview of the load capacity values can be found in the LI tire labeling table below.

Speed Index: Maximum Permissible Speed

The speed symbol (GSY) codes the maximum permitted speed - Speed Index (SI) - that may be driven with your mounted tire. You can easily read the meaning of the letter codes from the SI tire identification table below. In general, the higher the maximum speed, the lower the load capacity.

Running direction

The running direction is mainly of interest for tires with a special design of the tread. The marked direction of rotation must be observed during mounting. A distinction is often made between right and left tires. This is to positively influence the driving characteristics of your car.

Type of tires: Winter tires and all-season tires

This tire label is important, for example, when buying winter tires. These are identified by the "Alpine" symbol. You can recognize it by the mountain pictogram with the snowflake in the middle. In the Premium Wheels store, the winter complete wheels are marked with a snowflake.

All-weather tires can be identified by the abbreviation "M+S" - mud and snow. Since 2018, however, this tire marking is no longer sufficient in winter. This means that "M+S" tires no longer comply with the winter tire requirement. Instead, today a mountain with a snowflake in the middle, the so-called "Alpine" symbol, marks all-weather tires.

Therefore, it is important to look out for the "Alpine" symbol when buying your next winter tires!

E-mark

The E-mark shows that the tire meets the requirements of the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE). The digit after the "E" shows in which country the tire has received its approval. For tires produced in Germany, the number 1 applies.

DOT number

From the DOT number of the tire label you can read the tire age. The last 4 digits code the date of manufacture (e.g. 4220). The first two digits refer to the calendar week (e.g. 42) and the year of manufacture (e.g. 2020). In this example, the tire is considered brand new until the 42nd calendar week 2023. From then until the 42nd calendar week 2025, the same tire is considered new. If the tire is stored properly, it will retain its properties until that time. If your tires are older than 5 years, you should consider buying new ones, as they gradually wear out after 5 years of age. 

Bottom line: with the right look, you can glean a lot of information from your tires. We've explained the most important tire labeling data so you can easily identify a high-quality tire.

PowerSeal / SealTech sign

To prepare against tire damage, some tire manufacturers have developed a system that minimizes such damage. If your Goodyear or Dunlop tire has the SEALTECH or POWERSEAL designation, there is a sealant inside. If the tire takes damage, for example by nails or shards, the sealant closes the crack immediately and lets you drive safely to the nearest garage. These tires should only be used if a tire pressure monitoring system is in place. Otherwise, there is a risk that the damage will not even be detected and gradually accumulate.

License plates for electric vehicles

The question often arises as to whether the same tires can be used on electric vehicles as on internal combustion vehicles. In principle, the same tires can be used on electric cars as on all vehicles. However, it is advisable to use tires with very low rolling resistance, especially for electric cars. The range of a battery is optimized by lower consumption. 

Although electronic cars do not rely on special tires, manufacturers of battery-powered vehicles have developed such tires, which are precisely adapted to the technical specifications. The markings T0 at Tesla and NF0 at Porsche indicate that the tires are original e-tires. The eContact and E-V markings at Continental and Michelin are special tire profiles developed for electronic vehicles. 

Other symbols

In addition to the signs mentioned above, you may find others on your tire. This may be, for example, a marking for so-called run-flat tires. You can read which codes you will find on this type of tire in our article about run-flat tires.

A tire with the XL, EXTRA, LOAD or RF mark is designated as a tire with increased load capacity and shoulders higher loads than others of its caliber. If an NCS or PNCS is also shown on the tire, it is a tire with a reduced noise level. These tires are currently manufactured exclusively by Pirelli. 

Tables

In our tables you will find different information, all summarized at a glance and compact. 

Tire Marking Table: Load Index (LI) and Speed Index (SI)

Finally, here you will find the useful information about the load index and speed index in a tire marking table.