Red and Yellow Dots on Trailer Tires Explained

Updated 03/09/2016 | Published 03/08/2016

Question:

I purchased 4 of these tires notice they have red and yellow dots on them. Do these mean anything? I had other trailer tires at one time that had white dots and you were supposed to line up the valve stem with them. Thanks

asked by: Dean

Expert Reply:

Typically the yellow dot indicates the point on the tire that SHOULD be mounted next to the valve stem for the best balance.

The red dot is the uniformity mark. As well as not being able to manufacture perfectly weighted tires, it's also nearly impossible to make a tire which is perfectly circular. Every tire has a high and a low spot, the difference of which is called radial run out. Manufacturers typically mark this high point with a red dot on the tire sidewall.

When you have this tire mounted the guys at the shop will know all of this and will mount it accordingly.

expert reply by: Jameson C