Tire Size Chart for all vehicles: What do tire size numbers mean?
How can you find out the correct tire size? Tire Size Charts work for motorized vehicles like cars, busses, RVs, tractors, trucks etc… The tire size is made up of 7 factors:
- Vehicle Type
- the width of the tire
- Aspect ratio of the tire (or height of the tire)
- Construction of tire
- the rim size
- the load capacity
- speed rating index.
The meaning of tire size numbers
To explain the meaning of tire size numbers, we use an example tire number: P215/65R15 95H
- P stands for “P-Metric Tire” meaning you have a passenger vehicle. You might also see “LT” for “light truck”.
- 215 means the tire width in millimeters from sidewall to sidewall, so 215 millimeters in this case.
- 65 is the aspect ratio code , which means the height ratio to the tire’s width. This tire has a height equal to 65% of its width.
- R indicates radial construction.
- 15 is the wheel size. This tire fits on a 15-inch wheel.
- 95H is the load index and speed rating. The 95 is the load rating, which shows how much weight the tire can handle. H is the speed rating, which ranges from A to Z ratings. This tire can handle 130 mph with its H rating.
Tires Size Chart Table of Content:
Looking for specific tires sizes of Michelin, Goodyear, Continental, …?
Looking for tire size charts for Toyota, Jeep, Ram, Tesla, Ford, …
In addition to the brand, every car tire also has a tire size on it. This tire size comprises several codes, making it difficult for many people to understand. Below we have created a coherent story of the tire size, supported by a tire size chart. Why are there different tire sizes, and what do the tire size numbers mean?
Tires size reading explained (video)
Tire Size Chart – What is the width of the tire
The width of the tire is shown in mm (millimeters). In the example above, the number 195 can be seen. This means that the tire is 195 mm wide. The width of the tire can vary from 125 mm to 335 mm. The width always goes in steps of 10 mm. Tire sizes range from 125-135-145-155-165-175-185-195-205-215-225-235, etc. The tire width of the average middle-class car is 205 mm wide.
Tire Size Chart – Height of the tire (What is Aspect ratio?)
Height of car tire: In the tire size, the number that comes after the tire width (2nd part) is the tire’s height, which is a percentage of the tire’s width. In the example above that number is 55. This means that the tire’s height is 55% of the width of the tire, which in this example is 195 mm. The calculation is easy by multiplying the width of the tire (195) by 0.55. You then arrive at 107.25 mm.
The aspect ratio is the two-digit figure that follows the slash in a tire size. For instance, the 65 indicates that the height is 65% of the tire’s width in a tire of size P215/65 R15. The sidewall of the tire will be larger the larger the aspect ratio.
Tire Size Chart – What are different Tire Types?
The tire type is in almost all cases indicated with the letter R. R stands for Radial. Radial explains how the tire was made. With a Radial tire, steel cord plies are applied perpendicular to the direction of rotation in the tire’s width. This makes the tire flexible and maintains contact with the road surface when cornering. The counterpart of the Radial tire is the Diagonal tire. With the Diagonal band, the cord layers are placed diagonally over the band.
Tire Size Chart – What is Rim size?
The rim size is the size of the rim around which the tire fits exactly. This is the inner size of the car tire and the outer size of the rim. Rim size is almost always given in inches. The unit of measure “Inches” is widely used in English-speaking countries and is indicated by the symbol “which we see as a quotation mark. One inch equals 2.54 cm.
Smaller cars are likelier to have a smaller rim size than larger ones. A larger rim fits wider tires necessary for better road holding and can also handle a higher weight. Nowadays, cars are increasingly equipped with larger rims (15 ″ / 16 ″ / 17 “) because this is not only more beautiful and sporty, but also because the tires are more common, which makes them cheaper. There used to be a lot of cars driving around with 13 inches and 14 inches. Today that is 15 inches, 16 inches 17 inches.
Tire Size Chart – What is the Load capacity?
The load capacity of a car tire is displayed in a code. This code consists of 2 digits. In our example it says 87. According to the table, code 87 stands for 545 KG. This means that this tire can carry a weight of 545 KG without breaking down. This is sufficient for an average passenger car. This would be too little for a van. Even if the sample tire would fit around the rim of a van, the tire is not suitable for the application. In the table below, you can see the codes corresponding to the weight in KG.
| Code | KG | Code | KG | Code | KG | Code | KG | Code | KG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 190 | 65 | 290 | 80 | 450 | 95 | 690 | 110 | 1060 |
| 51 | 195 | 66 | 300 | 81 | 462 | 96 | 710 | 111 | 1090 |
| 52 | 200 | 67 | 307 | 82 | 475 | 97 | 730 | 112 | 1120 |
| 53 | 206 | 68 | 315 | 83 | 487 | 98 | 750 | 113 | 1150 |
| 54 | 212 | 69 | 325 | 84 | 500 | 99 | 775 | 114 | 1180 |
| 55 | 218 | 70 | 335 | 85 | 515 | 100 | 800 | 115 | 1215 |
| 56 | 224 | 71 | 345 | 86 | 530 | 101 | 825 | 116 | 1250 |
| 57 | 230 | 72 | 355 | 87 | 545 | 102 | 850 | 117 | 1285 |
| 58 | 236 | 73 | 365 | 88 | 560 | 103 | 875 | 118 | 1320 |
| 59 | 243 | 74 | 375 | 89 | 580 | 104 | 900 | 119 | 1360 |
| 60 | 250 | 75 | 387 | 90 | 600 | 105 | 925 | 120 | 1400 |
| 61 | 257 | 76 | 400 | 91 | 615 | 106 | 950 | 121 | 1450 |
| 62 | 265 | 77 | 412 | 92 | 630 | 107 | 975 | 122 | 1500 |
| 63 | 272 | 78 | 425 | 93 | 650 | 108 | 1000 | 123 | 1550 |
| 64 | 280 | 79 | 437 | 94 | 670 | 109 | 1030 | 124 | 1600 |
Tires Sizing Chart – What is Speed rating?
The speed index is a letter code immediately after the wire power (2 digits). The speed index tells what the maximum speed of the tire is.
In our example 195/55 R16 87V, the letter V is the speed code. The letter V stands for 240 Km p / h. This is the maximum speed that the tire is allowed. Driving faster can therefore lead to dangerous situations.
In the table below, all letter codes of the speed index are shown with the corresponding maximum speed.
Below Tire speed rating is an example of the most common Tire Speed ratings, ..want to learn all about Tire Speed Rating with complete charts? read it here
| Code | KM p/u | Code | KM p/u | Code | KM p/u | Code | KM p/u |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M | 130 | P | 150 | Q | 160 | R | 170 |
| S | 180 | T | 190 | H | 210 | V | 240 |
| W | 270 | Y | 300 |
Tires Sizing and Running direction
The direction of tire rotation: The direction of rotation is independent of the tire size. Some tires have an arrow on the side of the tire. This arrow indicates the direction of rotation / running direction of the tire. The arrow must always point towards the front of the car. Tires with a V profile have at least an arrow and a running direction. Pay attention to this when mounting the tire or when changing a wheel. The steering and driving behavior can be directly influenced by incorrect mounting.
Photo by Jahongir ismoilov on Unsplash
Tire Brands Size Charts
- Tire Size Chart for all vehicles: What do tire size numbers mean?
- Toyota Tire Size Guide (Size Charts and Dimensions Included)
- Honda Tire Size Guide And Types of Tires
- Chevrolet Tire Size Guide for Different Models
- Ram tire size guide for all models (size charts and dimensions included)
- Tesla Tire Size by model and year
- Truck Tire Size Chart And Sizing Guide
- Car Tire Size Chart And Sizing Guide
- Cateye Tire Size Chart: Measurements
- Jeep Tire Size: find the perfect tires for your jeep
- Understanding a Tire Speed Rating Chart – why is Speed rating important?
- Trailer Tire Size Chart – Get the perfect size for your trailer tires
- Continental Tire Size Chart
- Michelin Tire Size Chart
- Tires Charts
The pictures of this post is by Mike via Pexels
