How To Size Your Tires
To get the most accurate tire size, the safest and quickest way is to check what you currently have mounted on the vehicle. The tire size is visible on the sidewall of all tires. It is a sequence of letters and numbers that make up the size.
When shopping for a new tire set, we would recommend checking your current tires. That is the best way to make sure you are buying the correct size. If the original equipment wheels have been changed on the vehicle, the door panel and online size checkers will not be able to provide you with good measurements.
But what do these numbers and letters mean?
TIRE TYPE
Most commonly you will find the letters “P” or “LT” as the first part of the tire size. These indicators show if the tire is intended for use on passenger vehicles or light trucks. In other words, “P” tires meet the standards for use on passenger cars, while “LT” tires provide the durability needed for light trucks.
WIDTH
Next is the 3-digit number indicating the tire footprint’s width in millimeters. This is measured from one sidewall to the other and gives the width of the tire’s road contact area. So, if the number of 265 that means the tire is 265 millimeters wide.
ASPECT RATIO
After the width and slash, you will find the tire’s aspect ratio. This number is the ratio of the tire cross-section’s height relative to its width. It is a percentage that shows the height of the sidewall. Therefore, if the tire size is P265/70R17, then the 70 shows that the sidewall’s height is 70% of the width of the tire.
CONSTRUCTION
Most passenger car and light truck tires will have “R” after the aspect ratio. This indicates that the tire has a “radial” construction. This is the most common construction of such tires. However, other tire types can also have “bias” construction, in those cases, it is usually represented by a dash or an “x”.
DIAMETER
The tire’s rim diameter is the size of the wheel it is intended for shown in inches. While the other sizes can be varied a bit, this number has to match perfectly. A 15-inch tire will not fit on a 17-inch wheel. Therefore, if the tire size is R265/70R17, it is for a 17-inch wheel only.
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