How to Read a Tire Sidewall (P-Metric)

Above are examples of DOT Safety Standard Codes.

• "DOT" means the tires meet or exceed the Department of Transportation's safety standards.
• "MA" is the code number assigned by the DOT to the manufacturing plant.
• "L9" is the tire size (in this case, P215/65R15).
• "ABC" is a group of symbols, optional with the manufacturer to identify the brand or other significant characteristics of the tire.
• "0301" means the tire was made during the 3rd week of 2001 (the first two numbers designate the week it was manufactured and the last two numbers indicate the year).