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What do the colored dots on the side of a tire mean?
On the sidewall of most new tires are red and yellow painted dots. These are markers or guides to be aligned with particular points on the wheel. The less lead used for wheel weights, the lower the cost for balancing. The more weights are used, the higher the cost to balance your tires.
What is the dot on a tire sidewall for?
The “DOT” symbol certifies the tire manufacturer’s compliance with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tire safety standards. Tires made in the United States have the DOT serial number located on the inside sidewall near the rim.
What does the yellow and red dot mean on a tire?
If it is lined up with the yellow dot, the valve stem is located at the heaviest part of the tire. If it is lined up with the red dot, then it is located at the lightest part of the tire. These dots guide the technician to make sure that the tire is properly balanced during installation.
What does the yellow dot on the tire mean?
When performing weight match-mounting, the yellow mark on the tire, indicating the point of lightest weight, should be aligned with the valve stem on the wheel assembly, which represents the heaviest weight point of the wheel assembly.
Where does red dot on tire go?
The red dot may be aligned with a ‘dimple’ on the exterior of the rim. This indicates a wheel’s low point and should be adhered to in the mounting process. By pairing a dot with either the lightest or heaviest weight area, you will achieve the optimum balance point during installation.
What does a blue dot mean on a tire?
Registered User. Its for match mounting. No tire or wheel is perfectly balanced to itself from the manufacturer. The blue dot represents the high runout location on the wheel, while a red dot on the tire represents the coordination runout position on the tire.
How do you read a dot on a tire?
How to find the DOT code?
- The first two digits of the DOT code indicate the production week of the year (from 1 to 52).
- The third and fourth digits of the DOT code indicate the year of manufacture.
- If your DOT code is a 3-digit number, it means your tire was produced before 2000.
What does white dot on tire mean?
Dynamic Balancing Dot
The White Dot (Dynamic Balancing Dot) Regardless of the type of wheel, if there is no red dot, mount the tire with the white dot next to the valve stem. The white dot indicates the overall light dynamic balance point of the tire. In other words, it’s as though the white dot represents a bit lighter in the area of tire.
How do you get a dot off a tire?
How to Get the Colored Dot off of New Tire Sidewalls
- Hose off the tire if it is dirty. Remove any excess dirt or mud.
- Apply a tire cleaner to the spot. Some cleaners are advertised as no wipe; others need some time to stand on the sidewall.
- Wipe with a rag if required.
- Rinse if required.
How do you decode a dot number on a tire?
The first two digits of the DOT code indicate the production week of the year (from 1 to 52). The third and fourth digits of the DOT code indicate the year of manufacture. If your DOT code is a 3-digit number, it means your tire was produced before 2000.
Are 10 year old tires safe?
Old tires are dangerous, regardless of tread depth. While there’s no federally sanctioned safety guidance on when a tire is too old to be safe, many carmakers recommend replacement at six years from the date of manufacture. An analysis of the used tire revealed that it was nearly 10 years old.
What does a red dot mean on a car TYRE?
high point
The red dot indicates the tyre’s high point. Most of the time a wheel will also have a dot—either a drilled dot or a sticker to indicate its low point; if you have these marks, you should align the red dot with the mark on the wheel and ignore the yellow dot.