[CalgaryZL1]

Can anybody explain what the different variants are in the same model tire in the same size? Is it different side wall thickness? etc. I noticed different weights associated with the different codes.

[db2022cs]

If the designators you are looking at are the letters between XL and BSW, that is the OE designator. Some manufacturers like to have OE replacement equipment which would include tires so they have the tire manufacturer brand the tire with those 1 through 3 letter designators to indicate these are OE replacement parts. For example, AO is Audi, N0 is Porsche. As far as I know, there isn't a difference in the tires, I could be wrong, but the prices differences will indicate what sort of car they go on and also based on stock.

[arpad_m]

Every serious tire manufacturer collaborates with OEMs and specializes their tires to a degree, sometimes by adding acoustic foam to the inside to reduce road noise, sometimes by using a very slightly different compound, widening or narrowing the tread and sometimes even changing up the tread pattern a bit.

TireRack gives a longer, although still minimal, description of these "specialized" variants if you want to see who the OEM for each one is; Michelin typically has BMW, Porsche and Ferrari variants. The "standard" tire is the one with only the BSW (black sidewall) designation and nothing else.

Interestingly, the "standard" variant isn't always the cheapest, and this is pretty much where my knowledge ends, no idea how a customized tire can be cheaper than the stock design

[CalgaryZL1]

OK thank you guys that explains a lot, I did notice a slight difference in tread depth and a slight difference in weight. but wasn’t sure what the hell was going on when I went on their website and they had five different tires when I did the specific vehicle look up. I didn’t include the 99Y in the comparisons