Senior Member
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 2,026
Thanks: 82
Thanked 98 Times in 93 Posts
Still think the C you referred to = commercial
Commercial tyres are denoted by the small van icon on our site and will have the letter C suffixed within the size details (C denoting COMMERCIAL) i.e.:-
215/75R16C
These tyres will also have load index information such as:
215/75R16C 104/102
These numbers relate to the permissible maximum loading (reference the chart here) for tyres mounted as an axle pair first (104) or as a single tyre (102)
6ply or 8ply tyres?
A radial tyre is constructed using multiple layers of steel or polyester belting (or plies) to provide rigidity at point of contact with the ground. The more layers, the more durable the tyre. Obviously this suits commercial vehicles but would make a passenger car much firmer and provide less cornering and handling abilities.
The weighting and loading of any particular commercial vehicle would dictate which ply rating - 6,8, 10 or 12 - is most suitable. For example, a smaller van used for load carrying may simply require a reinforced car type tyre (extra load) or a 6ply commercial tyre. whereas a larger box van (Ford Transit etc) would require an 8ply product