Tyres. All you need to know

Tyres are one of the most important parts of the suspension on your Alfa Romeo; they are the only part of your car in contact with the road and as such the amount of grip you have is entirely dependent on them. The tyre is also a major factor in how comfortable your car is and how well it handles.

All car tyres are a compromise of a number of factors for example as the side wall of a tire decreases in size, it becomes a lower profile and you loose the flex of the tyre wall and so the car will turn in better but the ride will be firmer. While if you use a softer compound it will grip better but will wear out quicker. All of these things are taken into account by the manufacturer and your choice of tyre is also dependent on what you require your car to do.

There is also a lot of information on the side wall of the tyre the most important of which is the size and specification markings, as an example 205/50 ZR 16 87:

- 205 is the tyre width in mm,
- 50 is the aspect ratio in this case the height of the side wall is 50% of the width of the tyre ie 102.5mm,
- Z is the speed rating of 150 mph,
- R means it is a radial tyre,
- 16 rim diameter in inches,
- 87 load capacity rating the maximum load permissible load at maximum pressure which is 545 Kg on this tyre.

Further, round the tyre there is the Department of Transport mark, DOT FU TA H76x3501, the last 4 digits of this give you the date of manufacture of the tyre which is the 35th week of 2001.

On most tyres there will also be tread wear indicator marks round the outer edge of the tyre at intervals near the tread and if you look at the tread in these positions you will see small raised bars in the base of the tread. When these are level with the surface of the tread you have reached the wear limit for that tyre.

The Law on tyre wear and damage is:
- You must have 1.6mm of tread over 75% of the tyres width in one continuous band and the cords in the tyre must not be exposed
- You must not have any cuts in the tyre which go to the carcass or cords
- You must not have any bulges in the tyre.

Related Links: 147/156/GTV Service Schedule | 159/Brera Service Schedule | Fixed Price Servicing