Since tires play such an important role in establishing the personality of a vehicle, numerous vehicle manufacturers require their tire suppliers identify some or all of their Original Equipment (OE) tires with symbols or codes branded on the sidewalls that confirm the tire's original use. Some symbols are not mutually exclusive, and multiple designations may appear on a single tire.
The vehicle and tire manufacturer's goal is to make it easier for the owners to identify and select exact replacements when the Original Equipment tires wear out because matching the original tires exactly helps maintain the vehicle's intended personality.
Unfortunately many vehicles wear out tires in pairs (rather than sets of four) due to a lack of maintenance or when equivalent tread wear can't be achieved through periodic tire rotationtire rotation. While it can't make up for performance differences due to tread depth, it is most important to match new tires to those originally used on the vehicle when replacing tires in pairs.
The following list provides the symbols or codes currently in use:
| Make | Vehicle | Symbols/Codes |
|---|---|---|
| Alfa RomeoAlfa Romeo | Some Vehicles | AR, ARR |
| Alpina | Some Vehicles | ALP |
| Aston MartinAston Martin | Some Vehicles | A2A, A4A, A5A, A6A, A6B, A7A, A8A, A8B |
| AM2, AM4, AM8, AM9 | ||
| AML, AMP, AMR, AMS, AMV, AMX | ||
| AudiAudi | Some Vehicles | A, AO, AO+. AO1 |
| AOE, AOE1 (Extended Run Flat) | ||
| RE0 (Extended Mobility) | ||
| RO, RO1, RO2 | ||
| + | ||
| BentleyBentley | Some Vehicles | "B" in a circle |
| B, B1 | ||
| BC, BH, BL | ||
| BMWBMW | Some Vehicles | 5-Pointed Star Symbol* |
| *1, *11 | ||
| I* | ||
| ChryslerChrysler | Some Dodge Vipers | C1 |
| Dallara | Some Vehicles | ME2 |
| FerrariFerrari | Some Vehicles | F, F01, F02, F03, F04 |
| K1, K2, K3 | ||
| FordFord | Some Mustangs | FP |
| General MotorsGeneral Motors | All Vehicles | TPC SPEC (Tire Performance Criteria Specification) |
| TPC SPEC 1156 M+S (All Season Tires) | ||
| TPC SPEC 1156 (Non All Season Tires) | ||
| GenesisGenesis | Some Vehicles | GOE |
| HondaHonda | Acura NSX | H0, H1 |
| HyundaiHyundai | Some Vehicles | GOE |
| H, HN | ||
| JaguarJaguar | Some Vehicles | "J" in a circle |
| J, JRS | ||
| JeepJeep | Some Vehicles | JP |
| KarmaKarma | Some Vehicles | KRM |
| LamborghiniLamborghini | Some Vehicles | L, L1 |
| Land RoverLand Rover | Some Vehicles | JLR |
| LR, LR1, LR2, LR3, LR4, LR5 | ||
| LotusLotus | Some Vehicles | LS, LTS, LTS2 |
| Lucid MotorsLucid Motors | Some Vehicles | LM1, LM2 |
| MaseratiMaserati | Some Vehicles | MGT, MGT1, MGT2 |
| McLarenMcLaren | All Vehicles | MC, MC-C |
| MC1, MC2 | ||
| MercedesMercedes | Some Vehicles | MO |
| MO1, MO1A, MO1B | ||
| MO2 | ||
| MOE (Reduced-Range Extended Mobility Tire) | ||
| MOE-S | ||
| MO-P | ||
| MO-S | ||
| Some Vans | MO-V | |
| MiniMini | Some Vehicles | 5-Pointed Star Symbol |
| PaganiPagani | Some Vehicles | HP |
| PolestarPolestar | Some Vehicles | POL |
| PorschePorsche | Some Vehicles | N0, N1, N2, etc. |
| 911 | NA0, NA1, NA2, etc. | |
| Boxster/Cayman | NB0, NB1, NB2, etc. | |
| Cayenne | NC0, NC1, NC2, etc. | |
| Panamera | ND0, ND1, ND2, etc. | |
| Macan | NE0, NE1, NE2, etc. | |
| Taycan | NF0, NF1, NF2, etc. | |
| RivianRivian | Some Vehicles | RIV |
| TeslaTesla | Some Vehicles | T0, T1, T2, TS0 |
| VolkswagenVolkswagen | Some Vehicles | A |
| VO | ||
| + | ||
| VolvoVolvo | Some Vehicles | VOL |
The numerical escalation of Porsche N-Spec tires reflect either enhancements to the previous generation of the same tire model, or a change in the design specifications of a tire model used on a current Porsche vehicle to better complement the needs of a new Porsche vehicle.
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