Editing Tire (section)

==Sizes, codes, standards, and regulatory agencies==
[[File:Tire_code_-_en.svg|alt=|thumb|upright=1.35|Tire identification diagram with [[tire code]]s]]
{{Further|Tire code}}
Automotive tires have a variety of identifying markings molded onto the sidewall as a [[tire code]]. They denote size, rating, and other information pertinent to that individual tire.

=== Americas ===
The [[National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration]] (NHTSA) is a U.S. government body within the [[United States Department of Transportation|Department of Transportation]] (DOT) tasked with regulating automotive safety in the United States.<ref name="DoT">{{Cite web |title=49 CFR § 574.5 - Tire identification requirements. |url= https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/574.5 |access-date=2024-01-18 |website=LII / Legal Information Institute |language=en}}</ref> NHTSA established the Uniform Tire Quality Grading System ([[UTQG]]), is a system for comparing the performance of tires according to the Code of Federal Regulations 49 CFR 575.104; it requires labeling of tires for tread wear, traction, and temperature. The DOT Code is an [[alphanumeric]] character sequence molded into the sidewall of the tire and allows the identification of the tire and its age. The code is mandated by the [[United States Department of Transportation|U.S. Department of Transportation]]<ref name="DoT" /> but is used worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.rubbernews.com/article/20160309/NEWS/160309961/dept-of-transportation-issues-new-dot-codes |title=Dept. of Transportation issues new DOT codes|date=2016-03-09|access-date=2018-12-29|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190507124526/https://www.rubbernews.com/article/20160309/NEWS/160309961/dept-of-transportation-issues-new-dot-codes|archive-date=2019-05-07 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The DOT Code is also useful in identifying tires subject to [[product recall]]<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.goodyear.com/en-US/tires/recall |title=Goodyear Tire Recall |website=goodyear.com}}</ref> or at end of life due to age. The ''Tire and Rim Association'' (T&RA) is a voluntary U.S. standards organization that promotes the interchangeability of tires, rims, and allied parts. Of particular interest, they publish key tire dimensions, rim contour dimensions, tire valve dimension standards, and load/inflation standards.

The [[National Institute of Metrology Standardization and Industrial Quality]] (INMETRO) is the [[Brazil]]ian federal body responsible for automotive wheel and tire certification.<ref>{{cite book|url= https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/SP/nistspecialpublication941.pdf |title=Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) Conformity Assessment Infrastructure |last=Londono |first=Carmina |date=July 1999 |publisher=National Institute of Standards and Technology |location=Gaithersburg, MD}}</ref>

===Europe===
The [[European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation]] (ETRTO) is the European standards organization "to establish engineering dimensions, load/pressure characteristics and operating guidelines".<ref>{{cite book| title=ETRTO Standards Manual 2007 | year=2007| publisher=ETRTO |location=Bruxelles, Belgium | pages=I }}</ref> All tires sold for road use in Europe after July 1997 must carry an E-mark. The mark itself is either an upper case "E" or lower case "e"&nbsp;– followed by a number in a circle or rectangle, followed by a further number. An (upper case) "E" indicates that the tire is certified to comply with the dimensional, performance, and marking requirements of ECE regulation 30. A (lowercase) "e" indicates that the tire is certified to comply with the dimensional, performance, and marking requirements of Directive 92/23/EEC. The number in the circle or rectangle denotes the country code of the government that granted the type approval. The last number outside the circle or rectangle is the number of the type approval certificate issued for that particular tire size and type.<ref>{{Cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=IbW8BAAAQBAJ&q=european+tire+e+mark&pg=PA8 |title=Vehicle Dynamics: Theory and Application |last=Jazar |first=Reza N. |date=2013-11-19 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=9781461485445}}</ref>

The [[Rubber Manufacturers Association#British Rubber Manufacturers Association|British Rubber Manufacturers Association]] (BRMA) recommended practice, issued June 2001, states, "BRMA members strongly recommend that unused tires should not be put into service if they are over six years old and that all tires should be replaced ten years from the date of their manufacture."<ref>{{Cite web|url= http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/wheels/have-your-tires-reached-their-expiration-date-255224/ |title=Have your tires reached their expiration date? |last=Russell|first=Richard |date=October 31, 2018 |work=The Chronicle Herald |access-date=2019-05-06}}</ref>

===Asia===
The Japanese Automobile Tire Manufacturers Association (JATMA) is the Japanese standards organization for tires, rims, and valves.<ref>{{Cite book|title=JATMA year book: tyre standards |date=2019 |publisher=The Japan Automobile Tyre Manufacturers Association |isbn=9784909716026 |location=Tokyo |oclc=1086187385}}</ref> It performs similar functions as the T&RA and ETRTO.

The China Compulsory Certification (CCC) is a mandatory certification system concerning product safety in China that went into effect in August 2002. The CCC certification system is operated by the State General Administration for Quality Supervision and Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China (AQSIQ) and the Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People's Republic of China (CNCA).<ref>{{cite book|title=A brief guide to CCC: China Compulsory Certification |last=Busch |first=Julian |date=2013 |publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publ. |isbn=9781484115534 |oclc=959836294}}</ref>