On my new TL the tires have RED dots on them ,why are they there? and for what purpose? I believe they were for doing the alignment!? anyone Know? Thanks

 

On our jets the red dot indicates the lighter spot on the tire. You are supposed to line that up with the valve stem of the wheel.

I dont see it done with car tires often... half the guys I ask dont even know what it is..

its probably not very critical on automobile tires....

 

I agree. If you "look around" some on www. tirerack.com, I think that they have a FAQ regarding the dots.

 

The red dots on tires are used primarily for 2 reasons:
1] It marks the high point of radial force variation on the tire as measured by the tire manufacturer. This high point is then match mounted to the low point of the rim at the assembly plant to minimize the force variation on the vehicle. This is done to minimize vibration in the vehicle coming from the tire/wheel assembly. You will usually see this red dot aligned with the valve hole on most vehicles. This is the most common use of the red dot.
2] It can also be used to mark the high or low balance point on the tire. This is then used in the same way as above when the tire/wheel assembly is balanced at the factory.

These dots are useful to the OEMs in reducing their leading cause of customer complaints - vibration.

 

I always thought the alignment dot was yellow.

 

Thanks !! i didn't know that! thought it had something to do with the factory alignment, thanks again.

 

Some companies have used a bright yellow sticker (mainly Ford) for this same thing. They are now going more and more to the red dot since the stickers are more of a problem during shipping of the tires. The stickers can be dislodged.

 

Good to know. Its been about a year and half since I last had to use a tire machine. Starting to forget the little things.

 

Old thread I know but why start a new one. I just had new tires installed and these dots, both yellow and red, are on the outside of 2. Should they have mounted them so the dots are on the inside- not showing? Not a big deal but I now wonder what else was not done correctly ie. alignment.

John