Tire Care & Maintenance Guide

The easiest way to help ensure satisfactory mileage and performance from your Goodyear tires is to give them a simple, monthly inspection for proper inflation, even treadwear, and damage.
-Maintain Proper Inflation Pressure in Your Tires
Proper inflation pressure is necessary for optimum tire performance, safety, and fuel economy. To maintain proper inflation pressure, frequently (at least monthly) check tires (when they are cool) with an accurate tire pressure gauge.1 For example, it is difficult to tell just by looking at radial tires whether they are under inflated. Furthermore, when operating a vehicle equipped with radial tires, it is difficult to notice when a tire has gone flat, or nearly flat, since the “feel” of the vehicle does not change significantly.
1Evidence of air loss or repeated under inflation always requires expert inspection to determine the source of leakage, and tire removal to determine repairability.
To avoid injury, never attempt to reinflate a tire that has been run on while severely underinflated. Progressive air loss may result from punctures, cuts, curbing, impacts, or partial bead unseating. Some fitment causes for air loss are incomplete bead seating, bead tearing caused by a machine tool due to insufficient lubrication or improper adjustment, and leaking valve core or rubber valve components. These components should be replaced when problems are detected and whenever tires are replaced.
-Maintain Inflation Pressure at the Recommended Level
This level is recommended by the vehicle manufacturer and is shown on the vehicle placard or in your vehicle’s owner’s manual.
Maintaining proper inflation pressure is the single most important thing you can do to promote tire durability and prolong tread life.
Underinflation is the leading cause of tire failure and may result in severe cracking, component separation, or “blowout.” It reduces tire load capacity, allows excessive sidewall flexing, and increases rolling resistance, resulting in heat and mechanical damage. Over inflation increases stiffness, which may deteriorate ride, and generate unwanted vibration. Over inflation also increases the chances of impact damage.
-Don’t Spin Your Tires Excessively
Avoid excessive tire spinning when your vehicle is stuck in snow, ice, mud or sand. The centrifugal forces generated by a free-spinning tire/wheel assembly may cause sudden tire explosion, resulting in vehicle damage and/or serious personal injury to you or a bystander. Never exceed 35 mph/55 kph, as indicated on your speedometer. Use a gentle backward and forward rocking motion to free your vehicle for continued driving. Never stand near or behind a tire spinning at high speeds, for example, while attempting to push a vehicle that is stuck or when an on-the-car spin balance machine is in use.
-Check Your Tires for Wear
Always remove tires from service when they reach 2/32″ (.16 cm) remaining tread depth. All new tires have treadwear indicators which appear as smooth banks in the tread grooves when they wear to the 2/32″ (.16 cm) level. Many wet weather accidents result from skidding on bald or nearly bald tires. Excessively worn tires are also more susceptible to penetration.
-Check Your Tires for Damage
Frequent (at least monthly) inspection of your tires for signs of damage and their general condition is important for safety. If you have any questions, have your tire dealer inspect them. Impacts, penetrations, cracks, knots, bulges or air loss always require tire removal and expert inspection. Never perform a temporary repair or use an innertube as a substitute for a proper repair. Only qualified persons should repair tires.
-Proper Tire Repair
Note: Goodyear does not warrant any inspection or repair process. The repair is entirely the responsibility of the repairer and should be made in accordance with established Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) procedures.
-Tire Pressure Monitoring System Alert
Refer to your vehicle Owner’s Manual for more information on what to do if the tire pressure warning system activates.
-Don’t Attempt To Mount Your Own Tires
Serious injury may result from explosion of tire/rim assembly due to improper mounting procedures. Follow tire manufacturer’s instructions and match tire diameter to rim diameter. Mount light truck radials on rims approved for radial service. Do not apply bead sealer; this can inhibit bead seating. Lubricate beads and tire rim (including tube or flap) contact surfaces. Lock assembly on mounting machine or place in safety cage. Stand back and never exceed 40 psi (275 kPa) to seat beads. Never use a volatile substance or a rubber “donut” (also known as a bead expander or “O-Ring”) to aid bead seating. Only specially trained persons should mount tires.
-Don’t Mix Tires of Different Sizes And Types On The Same Axle
For optimum handling and control, Goodyear recommends fitment of four (4) tires of the same type and size unless otherwise specified by the vehicle manufacturer.
-Warning
Before you replace your tires, always consult the vehicle owner’s manual and follow the vehicle manufacturer’s replacement tire recommendations. Vehicle handling may be significantly affected by a change in tire size or type. When selecting tires that are different from the original equipment size, see a professional installer in order to make certain that proper clearance, load-carrying capacity, and inflation pressure are selected. Never exceed the maximum load capacity and inflation pressure listed on the sidewall of the tire. Always drive safely and obey all traffic laws. Avoid sudden, sharp turns or lane changes. Failure to follow this warning may result in loss of control of the vehicle, leading to an accident and serious injury or death. When replacing tires, you must maintain the outside diameter and load-carrying capacity of the original equipment tire. Inflation pressure may need to be adjusted to avoid overloading the tire. Consult the Tire & Rim Association Load and Inflation Tables, ETRTO or JATMA standards for correct load and inflation information.
-Never Fit Tires With Less Load-carrying Capacity Than Required
By The Vehicle’s Original Equipment Manufacturer
Many vehicles, such as large passenger vans, require Load Range E tires. Fitment of a tire with less carrying capacity, such as a Load Range D, is not allowed. In other cases, tires of the same size may carry different load indexes in the service description. You must make certain the replacement tires fitted to the vehicle have a load-carrying capacity equal to or greater than what the original equipment manufacturer specifies.
NOTE: Goodyear manufactured and/or marketed European-Metric passenger tires and P-Metric passenger tires are interchangeable as long as they are the same section width, same aspect ratio and same rim diameter.
CAUTION: Never substitute a “Standard Load” (SL) tire for an Extra Load (XL) tire. If the vehicle was originally equipped with “Extra Load” (XL) tires replace those tires with similar sized XL tires.
-Follow These Additional Guidelines:
When installing only two tires, fit the tires with the deepest tread depth on the rear axle. If radials and non-radials must be fitted to the same vehicle, fit radials on rear axle. Never mix radials and non-radials on the same axle. When fitting snow tires or all-season tires to performance vehicles, always fit in sets of four. It is not recommended to fit tires with different speed ratings. If tires with different speed ratings are installed on a vehicle, they should be installed with like pairs on the same axle. The speed capability of the vehicle will become limited to that of the lowest speed rated tires. Use of lift kits with some vehicle/tire combinations can cause instability. When changing tire sizes, always consult a dealer for optimum rim width and carefully check vehicle/tire clearances.
-Retreaded Tires
Retreaded passenger and light truck tires are not warranted by Goodyear for any reason. Goodyear speed ratings and U.S. Department of Transportation test compliance certifications are voided for retreaded tires.
-Don’t Overload Your Vehicle
Check your vehicle owner’s manual to determine the load limits. Overloading your vehicle places stress on your tires and other critical vehicle components. Overloading a vehicle can cause poor handling, increased fuel consumption and may cause tire failure. Overloading your tires can result in severe cracking, component separation or “blowout.” Never fit your vehicle with new tires that have less load capacity than shown on the vehicle tire placard, and remember that optimum rim width is important for proper tire load distribution and function. The maximum load capacity stamped on the sidewalls of P-metric tires is reduced by 10% when used on a light truck, utility vehicle or trailer. Never fit P-metric tires to light trucks that specify LT-type replacement tires.
-Maintain Vehicle Suspension & Wheel Alignment & Balance & Rotate Your Tires
Lack of rotation, worn suspension parts, underinflation, over inflation, wheel imbalance, and misalignment can cause vibration or irregular tire wear. Rotate your tires according to your vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations or at maximum intervals of 6,000 mi./10,000 km.
You must go to an authorized Goodyear outlet for replacement tires and all warranty service.
-Convenience (Temporary) Spare
Convenience (temporary) spare is designed to take up a minimum of storage space and, at the same time, fulfill the function of a spare tire when needed. The spare is kept in its storage space, fully inflated at 60 psi (413 kPa). To be sure it is always ready for use, check the air pressure on a regular basis. The Convenience (Temporary) Spare can be used in combination with the original tires on your vehicle but should never be used on a vehicle with which it is not compatible, nor should more than one such tire ever be placed on any vehicle at the same time. To conserve tire tread life, return the spare to the storage area as soon as it is convenient to have the standard tire repaired or replaced. The wheels used with the Convenience (Temporary) Spare are specifically designed for use with high pressure spares and should never be used with any other type of tire.
-How To Read A Tire D.O.T. Serial Number
D.O.T. stands for Department of Transportation. This number is located on the lower sidewall of each tire, showing that the tire meets or exceeds the Department of Transportation safety standards.
Understanding Tire D.O.T. Serial Numbers
12-digit number: 2000’s production
11-digit number: 1990’s production
M6MJEH0R0911
M6: Mfgr Plant Code
MJ: Government Size and Ply Code
EHOR: Manufacturer Construction Code
0911: Tire Build Date (9th week of 2011)
-Tire Service Life
Tires are built to provide thousands of mi./km of excellent service. For maximum benefit, tires must be maintained properly to avoid tire damage that may result in removal from service before the tread is worn down to minimum depth. It is not practical to accurately predict the service life of any specific tire in chronological time since service conditions vary widely. The serviceability of a tire over time is a function of the storage and service conditions (inflation pressure, load, speed, road hazard injury, etc.) to which a tire is subjected. Consumers should not rely solely on the appearance of the tire but should be aware of any change in dynamic performance such as increased air loss, noise or vibration, which could be a sign to remove the tire. Therefore, it is essential to have tires, including spares, inspected regularly (at least monthly) for proper inflation pressure, damage and treadwear.