Size
An 11R22.5 does not replace a 295/75R22.5 just because both are common.
How to Read Commercial Truck Tire Specifications
Tire Specifications
A wrong size, a short load index, or a steer tire put on a drive axle does not show up on the invoice. It shows up as a roadside call, a scrubbed shoulder, or a casing you cannot retread. This guide shows fleets, dealers, and distributors how to read a commercial truck tire specification before the tire is ordered.
Muscle Power Tires publishes a full spec row for each size: size, ply rating, load range, load index, speed symbol, tread depth, approved rim, max load at a stated cold pressure, and tire type. The markings mean the same thing on a sidewall and on a wholesale sheet. If the two do not match, stop and ask.
What a buyer should confirm before the order
Match five things to the truck, not to the last invoice.
Load index
It has to cover the axle rating at the pressure you actually run.
Load range and ply
On Muscle Power highway sizes, G is the 14-ply rating and H is the 16-ply rating.
Position
A closed-shoulder drive tire, an open-shoulder drive tire, a rib steer, a trailer tire, and an intermodal tire are not interchangeable stock.
Original tread depth
It is the new-tire number, in 32nds. It is not the legal pull point.
If those five line up, the rest of the row is fitment detail. If they do not, the rest of the row will not save the fitment.
How to read the size
11R22.5
Nominal 11-inch section width, radial construction, 22.5-inch wheel. No aspect ratio in that format. 22.5 is the rim diameter, not the overall diameter and not the tread depth.
295/75R22.5
295 mm section width, sidewall height 75 percent of that width, radial, 22.5-inch wheel. 255/70R22.5 is the same metric system in a lower, narrower size.
The R means radial. A hyphen instead of an R marks bias construction. Do not treat those as the same tire.
Muscle Power sizes currently published by position
Steer, MP991
11R22.5, 11R24.5, 295/75R22.5, and 285/75R24.5.
MP991 steer tiresDrive, MP967 and MP968
MP967 closed shoulder: 11R22.5, 11R24.5, 295/75R22.5, and 285/75R24.5. MP968 open shoulder: 11R22.5.
Muscle Power drive tiresTrailer, MP993
295/75R22.5 on the published table.
MP993 trailer tiresAll-position, MP991 AP
255/70R22.5.
MP991 AP all-position tiresIntermodal, HS23
11R22.5.
HS23 intermodal tiresSame nominal size is not the same tire. An 11R22.5 MP991, an 11R22.5 MP967, and an 11R22.5 HS23 share a wheel diameter. They do not share a job.
Published examples
Max load applies only at the cold pressure printed next to it.
| Model | Size | Ply | Load range | Load index | Speed | Tread | Rim | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MP991 | 11R22.5 | 16 | H | 146/143 | L | 18/32 | 8.25 in | TL |
| MP991 | 295/75R22.5 | 14 | G | 144/141 | L | 18/32 | 9.00 in | TL |
| MP967 | 11R22.5 | 16 | H | 148/145 | L | 28/32 | 8.25 in | TL |
| MP968 | 11R22.5 | 16 | H | 146/143 | L | 28/32 | 8.25 in | TL |
| MP993 | 295/75R22.5 | 14 | G | 144/141 | L | 13/32 | 9.00 in | TL |
| HS23 | 11R22.5 | 14PR | G | 144/142 | L | 16/32 | 8.25 in | TL |
MP991 295/75R22.5 is published at 6,175 lb single and 5,675 lb dual at 110 psi cold. MP991 11R22.5 is published at 6,610 lb single and 6,005 lb dual at 120 psi cold. Drop the pressure and the tire does not still carry the full number. The MP991 AP 255/70R22.5 row is the exception on the all-position table: load index 140/137 and speed symbol M.
Ply, load, depth, and tubeless
Ply rating and load range
A 14-ply rating does not mean 14 plies of fabric. On these tables, 14 pairs with Load Range G and 16 pairs with Load Range H. HS23 11R22.5 is 14PR, Load Range G. MP967 and MP968 11R22.5 are 16-ply, Load Range H.
Load index
The number is a code, not the pounds. In 146/143 the first number is single and the second is dual. Dual is lower because two tires share an axle and need a heat margin.
Tread depth
Original depth in 32nds. MP967 and MP968 are 28/32. MP991 is 18/32. MP993 is 13/32. HS23 is 16/32. That is not a mileage promise. Federal minimums are 4/32 inch on steering tires of a truck or truck tractor and 2/32 inch on other commercial positions.
TL, rim, DOT
TL means tubeless. Every row above is TL. The rim column is the measuring rim: 8.25 inch on the 11R22.5 rows, 9.00 inch on the 295/75R22.5 rows. That rim width is not the 22.5 wheel diameter. DOT and the tire identification number sit on the sidewall. Use them for age and for a claim file on the Muscle Power warranty page.
Need the sheet for a size you run?
Tell us the size, the position, and the monthly volume.
Three ordering problems this reading prevents
Right size, wrong tread
A dealer reorders 11R22.5, 16 ply, and receives a drive tread for a steer slot. Read the model and the tread type before the load line.
Right size string, short load range
A Load Range G tire can be right on another axle. On a steer position it may not cover the axle rating at the pressure the shop runs. Compare load index and stated pressure, then the truck axle rating.
Depth treated as miles
28/32 is volume. Miles still depend on route, load, inflation, alignment, and whether the tire is a closed-shoulder highway drive like MP967 or an open-shoulder traction drive like MP968.
Common questions
What does 11R22.5 mean?
Nominal 11-inch section width, radial construction, 22.5-inch wheel.
What does 295/75R22.5 mean?
295 mm section width, sidewall height 75 percent of that width, radial, 22.5-inch wheel.
Is 22.5 the overall diameter?
No. 22.5 is the rim diameter. Overall diameter is the full height of the tire and is a separate spec-row number.
Is a 14-ply tire the same as Load Range G?
On these Muscle Power tables, yes. A 16-ply rating pairs with Load Range H. Load index is still the weight code to compare.
What does 146/143 mean?
Single load index, then dual load index.
What does speed symbol L mean?
The industry speed symbol for 75 mph.
What does 28/32 mean?
Original tread depth of 28 thirty-seconds of an inch on a new tire. It is not part of the size code.
What does TL mean?
Tubeless.
Read the spec table before you request a price
Headquarters are in Chicago, and the wholesale ask is the size, the position, and the monthly volume.