How To Determine Tire Size
This article was co-authored by Howard Fleischmann. Howard Fleischmann is an Automotive Tire and Repair Specialist and the CEO of Community Tire Pros & Auto Repair, with ten locations throughout Phoenix, Glendale, Yuma, and Casa Grande, Arizona. Howard specializes in full-service auto repair and tire replacement and care for domestic/imported vehicles and large trucks. Howards dedication to Community Tire Pros & Auto Repair has earned their team multiple awards and features including the 2021 Phoenix Magazine AZ State 48 Best of the Best!, the 2020 Best of Phoenix in Auto Repair, the 2013 Master SBD award, the 2013 National Top Shop award by Tire Review, the 2012 Diversity Champions Phx Business Journal, the 2009 BBB Ethics award, the 2008 Phx Chamber of Commerce Impact Award – Small Business of the Year, and the 2008 ASU Spirit of Enterprise award. Howard is often referred to as The Car Guy for local TV stations and is a regular on TVs Channel 3 Sunday, Good Morning Arizona monthly. This article has been viewed 38,083 times.
You may need to know the size of your tires for various reasons, such as for a spare tire or when purchasing wheels, rims, or snow tires. However, measuring the tire size manually with a tape measure will not give you accurate results. Luckily, your tire size is easy to figure out. Simply read the series of letters and numbers printed on the tire sidewallall the information you need is right there!
How To Read Inch Sizes: 35x1250r15lt E
Diameter : 35The Diameter of this tire size is 35 inches.The first number in a high flotation tire size is the overall diameter of the tire.
Section Width : 12.50The width of this tire size is 12.5 inches.The second number in a high flotation tire size is the width of the tire in inches.
Tire Construction : RThe tire construction of this tire size is R for radial.This letter is for how the tire is constructed. Radial is the standard construction method for almost all tires.
Wheel Diameter : 15The wheel diameter of this tire size is 15 inches.The tire is designed to be mounted on an 15 inch wheel diameter.
Tire Class : LTThe tire class of this tire size is ‘LT’ which means it is a Light Truck tire.
Load Range : ETire load range of this tire size is ‘E’ which means it has a 10 ply tread. Other load ranges include B: 4 ply, C: 6 ply and D: 8 ply.
Selecting The Right Tire Size For Your Car
There are three things to understand when buying new tires for your car; the size, speed rating, and load index. Making the correct selection is very important to maintain optimal performance, safety, and fuel efficiency.
Fortunately, all of this information is easy to find. You can locate it inside the drivers door on your car, inside the fuel flap, or inside the glove compartment. Alternatively, you can consult your vehicle documentation and tire manufacturer specifications.
When considering tire size, there are two simple rules to follow.
Firstly, the replacement tires should be the same size, load index and speed rating specification as recommended by the vehicle or tire manufacturer.
Secondly, the replacement tires must never be of a smaller size or load-carrying capacity than the original specification.
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Reading A Tire Sidewall
On the tire sidewall, you’ll find a list of letters and numbers. These indicate the size, type and performance of the tire.
- You’ll usually find the letter P at the beginning. This means the tire is for a passenger vehicle, which is usually what the average person is driving. However, you could also see LT, which means the tire is for a light truck.
- Next, you’ll find three numbers, indicating tire width. The width is measured in millimeters from sidewall to sidewall. So, if your tire starts off as P215, it means the passenger tire is 215 millimeters in width.
- After the width, you’ll see a /, followed by two more digits. This is the aspect ratio, or the ratio of the tire’s cross-section height to its width. If the number were 65, then the height would be equal to 65% of the tire’s width. The bigger the aspect ratio, the bigger the tire sidewall would be.
- After the aspect ratio, you’ll find the letter R. This stands for Radial, or the layers that run diagonally across a tire.
- Right after that are two more numbers, which indicate wheel diameter. This is the size of the wheel measured from one end to another. It basically tells you the size of the wheel that the tire is intended to fit. So, if the sidewall says 15, then the tire is made for a wheel with a 15-inch diameter.
What Do The Numbers On My Tires Mean How To Read Tire Sizes
Being able to quickly glance at the sidewall of your tire and determine the tire size your specific vehicle needs can save you time, trouble and money. Even still, not many people know how to actually read a tire size even though its printed right there on the sidewall. As a mix of letters and numbers, its not as easy to read as finding a size 9 shoe.;
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Schedule Tire Service With Bmw Of Stratham
Now that you know what all those markings on the sides of your tires mean, you can find any of the above information whenever you need it.
If you live in the Stratham, Portsmouth and Exeter areas, dont hesitate to call or stop by BMW of Stratham with any;questions you might have;about how to read tire size.
Choosing The Correct Tire Size
Make your tire size selection in strict accordance with vehicle documents and tire manufacturer recommendations. If the combined wheel and tire diameter arent correctly matched, there may be drastic differences in ride height and speedometer readings.
For example, fitting 17-inch-diameter wheels to a car that is designed to have 14-inch-diameter wheels will change the ride height. That means the car body will be higher off the ground. There will also be a slight increase in top speed, and the speedometer will no longer be accurate. Last but not least, the car will accelerate slower.
Switching to different tire sizes can only be done in compliance with all legal requirements and regulations plus the recommendations of the vehicle, wheel, and tire manufacturers. At the very least, the wheel must have complete freedom of circular motion and the tires adequate load capacity must be observed.
The internal construction of tires fitted on any vehicle must either be radial or bias-ply. Fitting mixed tire constructions for cars, caravans, and other light trucks is unsafe and illegal. The only permissible exception is the use of a spare tire for an emergency.
Concerning the choice of wheels or rims, the same guidelines apply. Motorists must use the standard wheels or rims;approved by the vehicle manufacturer as recommended.
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What Are Oe Tires
OE stands for Original Equipment, meaning that the tires were approved by your vehicle manufacturer to come standard on your vehicle.
Some vehicle manufacturers, such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and others, equip their vehicles with tires that are specifically made for their brand. These tires have a special OE marking on the sidewall. In this case, Michelin recommends to replace tires on your vehicle only with tires equipped with necessary OE marking. Table of OE markings by vehicle brand :
- ;* = BMW, Mini
- N0, N1, N2, N3, N4 = Porsche
- MO1 = AMG
What Size Tires Fit My Car Calculator
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Close up of car mechanic with tires
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How To Read A Tire Size On A Tires Sidewall
The numbers and letters representing your tire size do have meaning. Learn how to read a tire sidewall and find what the numbers on a tire mean using the detail below.
How To Find The Correct Tire Pressure For Your Car
It’s very important to inflate your tires with the right tire pressure. If you are driving with the wrong tire pressure, it will cause excessive wear on your tires
- Magnus Sellén
Are you going to inflate your car tires, but you have no idea of what tire pressure is correct for your car?
Having the correct tire pressure in your car is very important, especially nowadays when you have tire pressure monitoring systems. If you run with the wrong tire pressure, you will see warning lights on your dashboard.
In this article, we will go through how you can find the right tire pressure and some other tips about tire pressure.
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How To Read Metric Sizes: P255/60r17 102v
Tire Class : PTire tire class of this tire size is ‘P’ which means it is a passenger car tire.The first letter in the tire size designates the tire class. An ‘LT’ would be a light truck class and no letter would be a euro-metric tire.
Section Width : 255The width of this tire size is 255mm wide.The first number in a metric tire size is the section width of the tire.
Aspect Ratio : 60The aspect ratio on this tire size is 60.The second number in a metric tire size is called the aspect ratio and means that the sidewall height is 60% of the section width.
Tire Construction : RThe tire construction of this tire size is R for radial.This letter is for how the tire is constructed. Radial is the standard construction method for almost all tires.
Wheel Diameter : 17The wheel diameter of this tire size is 17 inches.The tire is designed to be mounted on an 17″ wheel diameter.
Load Index : 102The load index of this tire is 102 – 1874 lbs.This number is the load index and the maximum amount of weight the tire can carry. A higher number means the tire can carry more weight.
Speed Rating : VThe speed rating of this tire size is V – 149 mph.This letter is the speed rating of the tire and indicates the maximum speed the tire can sustain.
Where To Find Tire Size
No matter what vehicle you drive, finding the manufacturer-recommended tire size should be easy. The best place to start looking is the ownerâs manual.
Donât worry if you canât locate the manual; you may also find a tire fit guide in these locations:
The driverâs side door jamb
Inside your glove box door
Within your gas tank hatch
Assuming theyâre the proper size, you can find tire size data on the sidewall of your current tires. However, no matter where you find your tire size, you will have to decipher a sequence of numbers and letters.
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Converting Metric To Inches
There are two ways that tire manufacturers display tire size, inches and metric. How to read tire size in inches is very straight forward.Example A : 33X12.50R15The first number is your overall diameter of the tire. In this example the tire diameter or “height” is 33 inches tall. The second number represents the width of the tire. In most cases with inch measurement tires the width will have a .50 decimal after the initial number. In example “A” this reads 12.50, meaning the tire width is 12 and 1/2 inches. The final number simply is the wheel size or “diameter” of the wheel that the tire will fit on.How to read tire size with a metric measurement is a little more difficult and usually takes a calculator to get exactly right.
Tire Size Explained: What The Numbers Mean
Tire size can be confusing. Some numbers on the sidewall are listed in millimeters while others are inches. Plus, the right size for your car, truck, or trailer can differ depending on where and how you drive.
You can see your original equipment tire size in your owners manual or on the placard generally located on the drivers side door jam. This is the sizing recommended by the vehicle manufacturer.
If youre interested in switching out your tires for a different look or performance, a good place to start is the numbers and other indicators on your existing tires sidewall. Next, have a tire professional help you determine a tire size range that will fit your vehicle and driving needs.
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Check Label Behind Drivers Door
On almost all car models, you will find a label when you open the drivers door. Here is often the tire pressure listed for the original tire sizes and how much you should inflate the tire depending on your vehicles load weight.
Some cars do not have this label, and in this case, you have to try any of our other alternatives.
How To Calculate Your Tire Size
So that was a lot of information, and maybe your eyes are glazed over, and your brain feels as if its fogging up.
But if that still seems too overwhelming, just contact the TIA-certified tire experts at Tread Connection. We can help you quickly calculate your tire size. Not to worry.
Another helpful hint youll want to stay within 3 percent of the diameter and height of the original tire. If you go further, you could have trouble with your brakes. Again, if this is confusing, and it often is to anybody who isnt immersed in tires, a Tread Connection representative can help you with that.
Contact a Tread Connection van in your area to get the perfect set of tires for your vehicle today!
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How To Read A Tire Sidewall
What do the numbers mean on the sidewall of your tire? At first glance, you look at your tire sidewall and think, Do I need a super secret decoder ring to read this? In addition to the model name of the tire there is a series of numbers that at first, you dont deem important. However, these numbers are extremely helpful, especially when its time to replace your tires. Heres a quick breakdown to help you decipher one of the best kept secrets in the automotive world: How do you read tire sizes?
TIRE SIZE
Example: P225/50/R17 98H
P identifies your tire as a Passenger Tire. The P stands for PMetric. If your tire size starts with LT rather than a P than it identifies the tire as a Light Truck tire.
225 identifies the tire section width, which is the measurement of the tire from sidewall to sidewall in millimeters. This measurement varies depending on the rim to which it is fitted.
50 is the two-figure aspect ratio. This percentage compares the tire’s section height with the tire’s section width. For example, this aspect ratio of 50 means that the tire’s section height is 50% of the tire’s section width.
R indicates the construction used within the tires casing. R stands for radial construction. B means belted bias and D stands for diagonal bias construction.
17 The last dimension listed in the size is the diameter of the wheel rim, which is most often measured in inches.
LOAD INDEX AND SPEED RATING
Example: P225/50/R17 98H
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Rating |
