XL, Extra Load, Reinforced etc.

[Rustynuts]

Is there any point in tyre manufacturers using this terminology and stamping it on the sidewall?

[XLBaconDoubleCheese]

As opposed to displaying the difference how? 

[@Lee]

Unscrupulous tyre fitters could fit anything and how would you as the customer be able to check?

[Rooted]

?
How would people know what they have fitted without the markings?

http://oponeo.co.uk/tyre-article/reinforced-tyres-advantages-and-disadvantages

Edited 21 January, 2017 by Offski

[Rustynuts]

They could always use the load rating, rather than the somewhat vague XL rating.

[Rooted]

Have you read the link or is it just that you think it is nonsense and the hundreds of tyre manufacturers producing millions of tyres should just go 'Simple'?

[Rustynuts]

Unscrupulous tyre fitters could fit anything and how would you as the customer be able to check?

As said, use the load rating which is stamped on the tyre. The "Load Index" (or load rating) of every tyre is an absolute of the tyres capability. Take 225  / 45 / 17 tyres for example. They're a common size, and available in many load and speed ratings from many different manufacturers. Say Michelin (for example) produce a tyre in that size with a load rating of 91. That rating of 91 will be the same as any other tyre manufacturers tyre with the same load index. Michelin also make a 94 rated tyre, and stamp it as XL. In effect, the only thing the XL rating signifies is that it carried a higher rating or load index than a standard tyre of the same size (the 91 rated tyre).

 

The XL rating doesn't mean anything other than it reinforces (no pun intended) the higher load index which the tyre has. So, is there any point in using the XL terminology? It's rather long the lines of saying a 5 speed gearbox car has four normal forward gears and a fifth one for going fast. The "fast" is only relative to the other gears.

Edited 21 January, 2017 by Rustynuts

[Ryeman]

Maybe it's useful for those involved in the poorly lit warehouses needing to separate LCV ones from passenger ones.

It would be extremely tiresome otherwise. If it were advertising, I doubt if it would achieve anything.

Just a boring suggestion as a possibility though

[Aspman]

I can kind of see your point since there are multiple load ratings not just two. An XL mark can only mean "more than" and nothing more specific than that.

 

I can't really see an issue with replacing XL with the actual load.

[Ryeman]

Possibly an inhouse marking for stock supply control management.

Is it an American brand?.

Edited 22 January, 2017 by Ryeman

[Rustynuts]

I can kind of see your point since there are multiple load ratings not just two. An XL mark can only mean "more than" and nothing more specific than that.

 

I can't really see an issue with replacing XL with the actual load.

All tyres have to have the load index on them anyway, so adding XL doesn't add anything to the game other than for people who have no thought of what the load index means. XL just seems to imply that they're better or stronger or whatever.

[mac11irl]

Possibly an inhouse marking for stock supply control management.

Is it an American brand?.

Its still pointless though...

"Put all the XL tyres together"

Should be no different to "Put all the 94 load rating tyres together"

And anyway, each tyre has a biig label stuck on with a bar code which presumably is link to its spec when scanned...

[Tilt]

It would be extremely tiresome  :clap:

My issue is that my new Bluresponse's have 'OUTSIDE'  written on the outside.

 

Is that really necessary......................Tyres for dummies? (or dummy fitters?).

 

INSIDE written on the inside would suffice.

[camelspyyder]

Not exactly.

Outside is a warning to you...

"Not for Indoor use"

[Tilt]

Not bad, that one.................... :clap:

[chimaera]

It's not quite so simple as the load rating determining whether the tyre is XL or not. On my Superb II, the spare is 205/55/R16 94V and is not XL, while the regular tyres are 225/40/R18 92Y and are XL, even though they have a lower load index.

 

From reading around on the topic, it seems that XL refers to tyres in a given size that have a higher load rating than is typical for that size, or that require higher pressures than would be normal. It's quite often applied to very low profile tyres used on heavy cars such as my Superb on its 40 profile tyres, and running up to 2.1 tonnes fully loaded, requiring inflation pressure of 2.7 bar front and 3.3 bar rear.

[Ryeman]

Out here we have Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) tyres eg Transit types.

Probably not legal (?) but for an off-road bias, what I'd be happy with as they are tougher

[jefalad]

23 hours ago, chimaera said:

It's not quite so simple as the load rating determining whether the tyre is XL or not. On my Superb II, the spare is 205/55/R16 94V and is not XL, while the regular tyres are 225/40/R18 92Y and are XL, even though they have a lower load index.

 

From reading around on the topic, it seems that XL refers to tyres in a given size that have a higher load rating than is typical for that size, or that require higher pressures than would be normal. It's quite often applied to very low profile tyres used on heavy cars such as my Superb on its 40 profile tyres, and running up to 2.1 tonnes fully loaded, requiring inflation pressure of 2.7 bar front and 3.3 bar rear.

 

Correct. The European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation (ETRTO) defines Extra Load (or XL) tyres as "Passenger car tyres and/or motorcycle tyres designed for loads and inflation pressures higher than the Standard version". Within the ETRTO Standards Manual there are separate tyre inflation pressure charts applying for Standard Load Tyres and Extra Load Tyres. Extra Load Tyres are capable of carrying higher loads because they can be inflated to higher pressures than Standard Load Tyres (however at "normal" loads, slightly higher pressures are specified for Extra Load Tyres compared to the Standard version). 

 

No hate mail need be directed towards the ETRTO. It is not a political organisation and was formed to establish common technical standards across the tyre/motor industry in Europe.        

[HeavyMetalRich]

On 1/23/2017 at 23:17, Ryeman said:

Out here we have Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) tyres eg Transit types.

Probably not legal (?) but for an off-road bias, what I'd be happy with as they are tougher

 

Over here the Commercial tyres have a C after the size before the speed rating. This points out that the tyre has six or more plys in its construction. Eg: 205/65R16C T 

I'm sure its the same elsewhere.

[Ryeman]

1 minute ago, HeavyMetalRich said:

 

Over here the Commercial tyres have a C after the size before the speed rating. This points out that the tyre has six or more plys in its construction. Eg: 205/65R16C T 

I'm sure its the same elsewhere.

I'm not sure exactly what the marking is here, but when I had my Yeti it was a thought........but then I looked under the car and saw the plastic protection.......for our rocks....(((

[HeavyMetalRich]

On 1/26/2017 at 21:11, Ryeman said:

I'm not sure exactly what the marking is here, but when I had my Yeti it was a thought........but then I looked under the car and saw the plastic protection.......for our rocks....(((

 

That's maybe a project for you; Make a Yeti suitable for rock crawling. I would love to see that!

[Ryeman]

It'd ultimately get beeched.

We have plenty of cheap 'bruisers' to for that extreme track work........old Nissan Patrols particularly 

[HeavyMetalRich]

Ah yes, the Patrols like that kind of work. What kind of tyres do you generally (no pun intended) use on them?

[Ryeman]

3 minutes ago, HeavyMetalRich said:

Ah yes, the Patrols like that kind of work. What kind of tyres do you generally (no pun intended) use on them?

I've never had one but they literally infest the rough rocky tracks we have.

I had a Wrangler which, out of the box, did everything, whereas Patrols have their own mods industry.

Our flinty rocks are true tyre killers not to mention the being staked by dead trees.

[mac11irl]

I recall after the arse fell out of everything here about 10yrs ago, guys started selling trucks and lorries out to Oz as second hand RHD units as even after transport they were worth more there than here - noone wanted them.

at first they were being shipped with brand new tyres on them as part of the deal. Until guys found out the first thing being in Oz was the brand new rubber was taken off and shredded as they didnt meet ozzy spec and were iirc declared "f*&^ing dangerous" by hauliers out there  they reckoned most of our truck drivers must be suicidal nutcases.

 

Tbf... totally different driving conditions....