I just recently found your channel, more than three years after this video was posted, and I am now trying to watch all that I have missed. You provide great information, presented in a very understandable way. Thank you, and please keep them coming!
Great vid. Finally cleared up some of my questions. One tip I got was colour a section of tyre tread on your 4x4 and drive a few meters ( 20-30) back and forth the chalk wears off the contact points allowing you to tune your tyre pressures to your rig.
I never could understand what all the numbers all meant . But you have explained it a lot better slowly which makes me more likely too which your videos more often thank you
I've been researching tires for at least a year now, actually learnt something new. Didn't know how to read the man date, and I didnt know about the yellow dot...good vid once again Ronny! Cheers!
Load rating is defiantly the best thing to look up. Some people at tire shops don’t understand and could sell you the same brand, model and size you want but a load rating suited for an SUV and not for the 1 ton truck it’s going on. I just bought tires and the guy at the shop had no idea what it was good for but I verified they were suitable, was load rating “E”
Hi Ronnie love your videos, always well researched and presented. The method I was taught for correct tyre pressures was the '4 psi rule'. Measure your tyre pressures then drive 30 km or so on the highway, and measure the pressures again. They should have risen by 4 psi. If they rise less the tyre isn't warming up and gripping properly, lower the pressure. If they have risen by more then pressure is too low and tyre is overheating. Simple and once you have done it you know the correct pressures for the future.
the yellow dot is meant to be at the valve but sometimes as a tyer fitter you have to spin the tyer on the rim to lower the weight you have put on a tyer as all rims are not round again this all depends on the rim manufacturer cheap Steal rims are more likely to be more out of round than a higher end rim
The thing about age is related to use. What happens to tires when they get old is the rubber starts cracking. This is caused by a combination of the rubber drying out, and ozone exposure. Tires will last longer if they are covered, or indoors (like if you park in your garage, and have a spare tire cover) because that reduces their exposure to ozone. The interesting part is that the rubber doesn't dry out as fast if you use the tires more. This is because heating the rubber up through use prevents them from drying out temporarily, and it makes a big difference. A new tire can be too old to use in only 4 years if the vehicle they're mounted on is just parked in a driveway the entire time. The same set of tires can be just fine after 6 or 7 years if the vehicle is driven on the highway a dozen miles or so, at least once every week. The way to tell is if the sidewall rubber is cracking. If you see cracks, replace the tire. If the rubber has no cracks in it anywhere, you're probably fine for a bit, but you should keep checking every so often.
285/75/16 Cooper Discoverer ST Maxx 126/123Q = Just short of being 33" but I have been using for 4 years and wears well and good on all surfaces. Keep up the good info and thanks
Wow this video saved me from making a big mistake. Was gonna get a 15rim tyre because it looks “tougher” but now know I have a way lower load rating. Thanks Ronny legend I’ll be sure to look out for all these!!
I'm 60 yrs olds I never know about the yellow dots have there all I no understand, You have made my interest to check out my wheels again and there all no meet, Tyre business careless bastards. Thanks again for all the advice
Hey Ronny! Awesome vids thanks a bunch! I worked at a tyre shop for awhile and even tho those dots should theoretically make a better balance, its not always the case. Many times, a better balance can be obtained by rotating the dot 90 or 180 from the stem, usually, if the tyre is wobbling some left and right as it spins, rotating the dot will usually straighten it out and call for less weight.
In England speed rating is important when u do ur MOT. The car will fail its MOT check if we don't have a proper tyre- not only a tread but also a speed rating.
The yellow dot one is good to know. I've popped a few beads off before and always have to get it rebalanced as I don't know where the tyre was previously. Easy realignment if they put it on properly. Also another one for tyre pressures, some people colour in their tyre width in chalk and then go for a drive. You'll then see if the tyre is making good contact with the road.
+brendonv101 awesome idea about the chalk. I’ve also always wanted to chalk the side walls and rim to see if both or either shift at low pressures under hard 4 Wheeling
I work in a tyre shop and occasionally if we line the yellow dot up and the wheel balancer still says for example 180kgs, we'll spin the tyre around so the yellow dot is at the opposite end and it hopefully brings it down a bit, if need be we'll even flip it on the rim but only if where able to (4wd tyres only, cars tyres don't normally have this problem)
New to all of this, never paid attention to my tire specs, you are very informed, this was an excellent video and a great help. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
As always a great video Ronny. Thanks for uploading this, was most enlightening and it never hurts to refresh knowledge hey I'll be sharing this as I do most of your videos to Geraldton 4x4 FB Group.
Learned so much as well. Cheers from San Diego, California! Just bought 2016 lx 570 with 21 inch rims and is being replaced with 18 inch rims for off-roading.
One very important rating that was not mentioned is the Durometer Rating of the tire. It will be a 3 number rating such as 300 etc. This rating refers to the hardness or softness of the synthetic rubber the tire is made from. Softer durmoter tires grip better but wear quicker and also get more greasy if the pavement is very hot. And consequently a higher number Durometer Rating tire has a harder rubber which will last longer but also grip much less. I always consider the "Durometer Rating " when I'm purchasing tires; as it plays a huge role in your decision making. Great video btw......
Awesome vid. Had to buy new tires for uzj200 landcruiser about 3 months ago. Impossible to get a decent tire and keep too the speed rating. Wish i had seen this earlier👍 keep up the great work
RE Load Rate and PSI... Is there a formula to determine the Load Rate for the PSI of the tire other than the MAX PSI marked on the tire? In other words... when you air down to 25 PSI for example, are we able to determine what the Load Rate would be then, versus fully inflated? This would be very helpful so people know what PSI to stay above based on their known weight of their vehicle and gear.
Actually not a mish mash of Imperial/Metric, technically the 16, or what ever number, is a "series number" chosen to coincide with the equivalent imperial wheel diameter, so that wheels around the world can be interchangeable. A metric 16 series has a diameter of 406.4 mm (equivalent to 16 inch). Look up the European Tyre & Rim Technical Organisation - Standards Manual
As much as I hate imperial measurements I have to say the the all inches is easier to read then the other way inch x inch x inch is a lot easier then metric x percentage (that's just bizarre) x imperial. I see that as a mish mash. I don't see why I have to study some European Tyre & Rim book to try to understand it. A percentage of the width.......!!.cmon really?? The only reason we have to use crap imperials in the first place is because the yanks can't be assed converting to metric like the rest of the world did.
Joe King, I thought that the mish mash comments were about having a mix of metric and imperial measurements in the designation for tyre size. My comment about the European handbook was not regarding how to determine tyre diameter, but a reference for where the rim "series number/size" comes from. It's trivial maths and your "inch x inch x inch" is wrong anyway. My made in Japan Nitto tyres are branded with both metric and inch sizes lol.
hey ronny you need to do a video about how to determine how low psi can go for offroading and to set new psi if you change from a 50psi max to a 80psi max you just showed!
I’ll add there’s an exception for inflation. Example: milestar Patagonia m/t is supposed to run with the outer inch or so on each edge of the treads off of the roadway. The tread is multi compound and the center is made to run longer and quieter on the road, then when you hit the trail, you air down onto the edges of the tire. Basically, follow the manufactures recommendation for how they should be inflated in conjunction with your vehicle weight and conditions. Otherwise, great info for the tire newb!
most important thing is have a proper pump that gives you psi information as you inflate/deflate you tyres If you have a central inflation system be sure you have a monitor for it.. gotta love the duelly reference though if you are intending to exceed the weight capacity of vehicle you may want to consider either a 6x4 or a 6x6 conversion to offset your weight..
1:40, I'm thinking the R stands for Radial. Practically a forgone conclusion at this point, but when radial tires were first starting out, there were predominantly B bias ply tires 7:47, Almost. Load ratings are for the given pressure at the rated speed. You can exceed the rated load without a problem, but if you do, you cannot approach the rated speed. Likewise, if you lower your pressure, the weight rating at the rated speed is reduced, you can just go slower than the rated speed. This is handy info bc usually when you run reduced pressure, you're off road and not going highway speeds anyway.
Very useful info. Chucking your tyres at 5 years though could be a bit expensive and may not be necessary. It really depends of usage and exposure to UV which can vary greatly depending on where the vehicle is stored. As a rule of thumb, after 5 years old, get them properly inspected every 12 months to determine if they need changing and don't keep any tyres longer than 10 years old.
I agree, my parents have gotten over 10 years of use out of the tires on their truck that probably only gets about 3,000 to 5,000 miles of use a year and the tread still looks like it did when they were new. They had a shop inspect them recently and they couldn't find any faults with them and recommended to keep running them. Obviously most tires wear much faster but these are definitely beating the odds.
Although tread depth on its own isn't always a complete indicator. The overall condition of the rubber is very important once tyres go over 5 years old. As long as the tyres get inspected at least every 12 months then it should be all good.
best way to check over or under inflation is get a bit of chalk and collour a section of your tread and drive a couple metres down the road. it rub out the chalk
Actually the best way to check proper inflation is to test the pressure change from a cold tire to an operating range tire. A tire that is properly inflated will gain 10 percent in the tire pressure from cold to operating pressures.
Didn't know about the yellow spot stuff. So for the next one Ronny, can you do a video on how to find the G spot. Then maybe the minister for fun and finance would want to go 4 wheeling with me :-))
If driving on road in the rain, you can tell if over/under inflated by looking at the tyre tracks in your mirror. Not perfect, but handy check when you haven't got a mate behind you.
In Europe the information needs amending, the maximum speed rating of the tyre must exceed the maximum speed of the vehicle to be legal. I have to have an S rated tyre as the S rated tyre is 1 MPH higher then my vehicles maximum speed.
With the load rating: You always use 4 tires, so even with 1 ton weight rating, the max allowed weight is 4 tonnes for a 4wd truck. Which should be enough, if you don't overload it. And, let's say with load rating of 1.5tonnes, the tires can hold up to 6 tonnes of car. It's as simple as that. Or... well, here comes some weight management. If you overload the back of the truck, you can actually ecced the load rating pretty fast.
