What the dots mean and their related colour code is agreed between the relevant tyre and vehicle manufacturer and there is no common system which applies (even in the EU!!).
I find that difficult to believe, as more tyres must be sold as replacements than fitted to new cars. Wouldn't the replacement market have a larger interest over car manufacturers?
Contracts to supply original equipment (OE) tyres for new cars are very important for tyre manufacturers. A single car production line could be building one car per minute, 24 hours a day and each car will need at least 4 tyres. That is 5,760 tyres per day for this line only and there are lots of car production plants in the world with most of them having more than one line. It is in both the car and tyre manufacturers' interests to ensure that the cars produced meet customer's expectations and warranty costs are minimised. A lot of time, effort, and money is spent ensuring that OE tyres match or exceed the specifications set by car manufacturers with respect to performance and quality. In contrast, Joe Public will typically want something approximately round, black, and cheap from a local tyre dealer who will not have the time, inventory, or equipment to achieve the best possible results.
OE contacts provide major tyre manufacturers with more continuous, reliable business than the replacement market which they will supply with surplus OE tyres or tyres built to a standard specification.
I know the above to be true because I have worked for OE suppliers to the motor industry for 33 years.
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