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| Remember=20
that the only connection between you and mother earth is your =
tires. Treat=20
them well. The important issues are type of tires and the air in =
the tire.=20
Keep in mind that the tire doesn=92t support the vehicle load. The =
pressurized air inside the tire supports the load. The tire is =
just the=20
container this might sound obvious, but it is critical to =
understand.=20
If you are driving a SUV or an armored SUV the tires should =
start with=20
the letters LT =96 which mean Light Truck. Often Light Truck (LT) =
tires will=20
be replaced with Passenger tires of the same size.=20
Anyone who is responsible for the safety and security of the =
passengers=20
in their vehicle should understand tire loads. You can put =
yourself and=20
everyone else in the vehicle in a tough spot by not paying =
attention to=20
vehicle loading. You will find the tire load written on the side =
of the=20
tire, and it is the air in the tire determines the amount of =
weight you=20
can carry in the car. The combination of speed =96 heavy load =96 =
low tire=20
pressures is a recipe for blowouts and flats.=20
Check your tire pressures when the tires are cold - understand =
that for=20
every 10 degree increase (F) in temperature the tire pressure goes =
up 1=20
PSI. Combine that with a heavy loaded vehicle and it is a disaster =
looking=20
for a place to happen.=20
LOAD RANGE For a reason that I have never been able to comprehend the Load =
range=20
on LT tires has a different designation. Look at the drawing on the right and you will notice the load =
range=20
designation is a letter instead of a number. Why? I don=92t know =
=96 if you go=20
on the Goodyear site mentioned above it has an explanation. But as =
a quick=20
reference look at the table to the left. The tired pictured has a =
load=20
range of D which mean it is a load range of 110 which means it can =
take=20
2337 pounds on it.=20
What do you take away from all this? Check your tires and =
insure that=20
they are the correct designation =96 if it is armored it should =
have a LT=20
tire on it. Make sure the tire can take the weight that=92s on it, =
if it=20
cannot take the weight you are asking for a blowout.=20
TIRE PRESSURE HINTS If you are not sure what to put in for tire pressure the =
vehicle=20
manufacturer's recommendation is always a good starting point. It =
will be=20
somewhere in the car, or on the sticker in the driver's door jamb, =
but=20
more and more it's located on the back of the gas filler door. If =
that=20
fails, the information should be in the owner's manual. Sometimes, =
there=20
will be a range specified, or two different recommendations, =
depending on=20
load. Anywhere between these numbers should be safe.=20
If you know the vehicles weight and weight distribution you can =
determine if you have the correct tires and what the tire =
pressures should=20
be. To illustrate lets say we have a vehicle that weights 7000 =
lbs. Its=20
weight distribution is 60% front and 40% rear. You can get weight=20
distributions on the web at
|
![](3D"http://www.securitydriver.com/images/aicimages/tire1.jpg")
The tire pictured has the designation =
P215/65R15 =96 with=20
a load range of 95 and speed rating of H. You cannot arbitrarily =
use this=20
tire for a tire whose designation was LT 215/65R/15. Why? =
The=20
explanation can and does get complicated =96 if you are interested =
go to the=20
site listed below =96 it will give you detailed information. ![](3D"http://www.securitydriver.com/images/aicimages/tire2.jpg")
=20