where to find the ply info for tire

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Dec 16, 2014
Messages
5
Location
NY
Anybody know where I can find the tread and sidewall ply information for tires. I've looked through the manufacturer websites and haven't been able to find it. I'm specifically looking for info on the General Altimax RT43 and the Mastercraft Touring LSR.

Thanks.
 
Avoid the Mastercraft. They are Chinese Cooper's and never last and difficult to balance as they are not well made.

I have a set of the RT43's and have less than 5,000 miles on them and no snow experience yet but rain is good and ride/noise is good too.
 
Originally Posted By: spk2000
Avoid the Mastercraft. They are Chinese Cooper's and never last and difficult to balance as they are not well made.


Not sure I agree with this. I have Mastercraft tires for my K1500. They are super nice, great tread design. Quiet on the highway. No problems at all. But I have no experience with their regular car tires.
 
Originally Posted By: Phishin
Originally Posted By: spk2000
Avoid the Mastercraft. They are Chinese Cooper's and never last and difficult to balance as they are not well made.


Not sure I agree with this. I have Mastercraft tires for my K1500. They are super nice, great tread design. Quiet on the highway. No problems at all. But I have no experience with their regular car tires.



Not sure I agree with it either. Every Mastercraft tire I have sold/installed have been U.S. made.

I would like to see a link or picture showing that any of them are Chinese made.
 
Just contact the manufacturer. I'm sure they'll give you this information.

And be sure to specify the size and speed rating you're interested in. Sometimes the construction will differ depending on these parameters.
 
Originally Posted By: Respk
Anybody know where I can find the tread and sidewall ply information for tires. I've looked through the manufacturer websites and haven't been able to find it. I'm specifically looking for info on the General Altimax RT43 and the Mastercraft Touring LSR.

Thanks.


I agree with QP, but why do you want to know?

The general construction is 2+2, plus whatever cap plies they have. If the cap plies is the only thing you are interested in, why not ask that question on this web site. I'll bet somebody here who has those tires will know.
 
Originally Posted By: CapriRacer
Originally Posted By: Respk
Anybody know where I can find the tread and sidewall ply information for tires. I've looked through the manufacturer websites and haven't been able to find it. I'm specifically looking for info on the General Altimax RT43 and the Mastercraft Touring LSR.

Thanks.


I agree with QP, but why do you want to know?

The general construction is 2+2, plus whatever cap plies they have. If the cap plies is the only thing you are interested in, why not ask that question on this web site. I'll bet somebody here who has those tires will know.


I've narrowed my tire search to those two tires. Since I over analyze any tire search I found that the Altimax weighs about 25 lbs and the Touring LSR weighs about 29 lbs. I was just wondering what the difference was and started with comparing the tread and sidewall plies.

Sorry but I'm not sure what "2+2 plus whatever cap plies" means exactly. I can't find either tire in the size I am looking for locally to read it for myself. Many years ago I remember finding this info for another tire search, but can't find it online now.
 
tire-radial.jpg

2+2 = 2 body plies, 2 belt plies
Cap ply = nylon overlay

Expect 1 or 2 body plies in a passenger car tire, and 2 or 3 in a light truck tire. The nylon cap ply gives stability, common in H speed-rated and higher, sometimes found in lower ratings.
 
I may have spoken too hastily in that I had a set of Mastercraft's that wore out in about 10,000 miles. Not just wore out but bald as in way past useful life and threads beginning to show. Tire dealer told me they were made in China by Cooper. This was my only experience with them that was very bad. However searching for where Mastercraft is made seems very deceptive as they don't say much about it. Mine could have been a fluke but the set of Michelin's that followed without any alignment lasted over 70,000 miles and were still good when I sold that car. Something was wrong with them and that tire dealer never got my business again since he would not do anything about it. Paul's Tire in Carrollton, KY was the dealer and I would avoid them at all costs.
 
Originally Posted By: Respk
.....Sorry but I'm not sure what "2+2 plus whatever cap plies" means exactly....


It means 2 plies of polyester and 2 steel belts. Cap plies are nylon overlays over the belts - required for high speed rated tires.

First, the construction of a tire in a given size is generally the same among all tire manufacturers - except for the number of cap plies. Those only add a few pounds.

Looking at the line up between those 2 tires, my guess is that the construction would be the same - including cap plies. So the weight difference is likely somewhere else.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about the weight difference. Too many ways to do this and weight isn't always an indicator of a better tire. Sometimes the reverse is true.
 
Last edited:
First of all, load ratings by ply count are beyond obsolete. If you're looking to find a higher load tire, stop counting plies and use the modern load rating (two or three digit number after the size and before the letter speed rating). If you choose a tire with a higher load rating, it may not last longer or ride better (may ride worse), but it will haul more weight.

Second, counting plies and comparing construction sales pitches is pointless compared to the design and quality of the tire, and how well it works for your particular application. A tire that lasts forever on a 3000 pound car may have a short life on a 4000 pound car.

I do my tire research by finding tirerack.com reviews for that tire on like-size, like-balance, like-weight vehicles. For example I've noticed some tires that get rave reviews for 4K Lb AWD crossovers aren't as loved by Corolla drivers, and vice versa.
 
I wasn't concerned about the load rating. Both of the tires I was considering had the appropriate load rating. What I did find was that the tires that were on the car had 2 plies in the sidewall and 5 in the tread as stated on the sidewall of the tires. Most of the tires I was looking at only had 1 ply in the sidewall. Some of them had 2 ply sidewalls. None of them had 5 plies in the tread. I decided to go with the Altimax RT43s based on the reviews on tirerack, which has a 1ply sidewall. We'll see how they do as I've only had them a few days. I have 30-45 days to decide. So far my gas mileage went up a full mpg. We'll see if that holds.
 
Originally Posted By: Respk
I wasn't concerned about the load rating. Both of the tires I was considering had the appropriate load rating. What I did find was that the tires that were on the car had 2 plies in the sidewall and 5 in the tread as stated on the sidewall of the tires. Most of the tires I was looking at only had 1 ply in the sidewall. Some of them had 2 ply sidewalls. None of them had 5 plies in the tread. I decided to go with the Altimax RT43s based on the reviews on tirerack, which has a 1ply sidewall. We'll see how they do as I've only had them a few days. I have 30-45 days to decide. So far my gas mileage went up a full mpg. We'll see if that holds.


Upon actually reading the sidewall of the tire, it has 2 polyester plies in the sidewall and 2 polyester + 2 steel belts + 1 polaymide in the tread.
 
Just so every one knows:

The number of plies in the sidewall is somewhat misleading. A tire manufacturer can use any kind of cord and its strength will determine how many plies need to be used. An over the road truck tire, for example, is typically inflated in the 100 psi range and typically has a single steel body ply.

Small car tires don't need the strength that a large car tire does, so you will typically find a single ply in the smaller sizes and 2 plies in that larger sizes - with a transition between the 2 dependent on the exact material that is being used and how the tire engineers set up the standardizing (for manufacturing efficiency).

It is also pretty standard to use 2 steel belt (in the tread area). Even over the road truck tires use 2 steel "working" belts, with other steel belts as transnational belts, or protector belts.

Polyamide is an fancy word for a group of materials that includes nylon and kevlar. Those materials are typically used as cap plies to improve the speed rating.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top