How Do I Read My Tire Placard?

Often simply called a Tire Placard, light vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 10,000 pounds or less (except motorcycles) are required to have a Tire and Loading Information placard. Commonly found on the driver's doorjamb, these placards are a consistent reference that confirms important vehicle capacity and Original Equipment tire information.

The placard must identify the number and location of seating positions along with the vehicle's total load capacity for its occupants and cargo. This vehicle-specific placard must also provide the Original Equipment tire sizes and the vehicle manufacturer's recommended cold tire pressures.

The rating for the combined weight of occupants and cargo is the maximum load the vehicle's tires, wheels, suspension and chassis were engineered to carry. Exceeding the listed weight will likely result in overworking the vehicle and risking component wear or failure that can result in loss of control or an accident.

If weight-adding modifications are made to a new vehicle before its first sale (i.e., adding permanent storage shelves in a work van or tool box in a light truck), the vehicle converter/selling dealer is responsible for affixing a Load Carrying Capacity Modification Label confirming how much the additions have reduced the vehicle's remaining load capacity.

Exceeding the prescribed number/location of the vehicle occupants results in the additional passengers not having a seat belt to protect them from injury in the event of an accident.

The tire placard is required to list the tire size on the front axle, rear axle and spare tire (if so equipped) fitted as Original Equipment and provides the vehicle manufacturer's standard cold tire pressure recommendations. Because it is possible for vehicle manufacturers to provide alternate cold inflation pressure recommendations to accommodate unique weather, load and/or high-speed service conditions, the placard guides drivers to see the vehicle's owner's manual for additional information.