Want to know what size tire you’re running? There are four places you may find it on the vehicle:
- The tire’s sidewall
- The driver’s side door jamb
- Inside the glove box door
- In the gas tank hatch
To interpret your tire size, we’ll leave the explanation up to our good friends at Goodyear, below:
Once you find the series of numbers on your tire’s sidewall, use the diagram above and the list below to find the meaning of each number.
- Metric, or tire type, defines the proper use of the tire. For example, a "P" designation means that it is a passenger car tire. An "LT" designation is for a light truck. No letter before the width indicates that it is a European metric tire.
- Tire width is the width of the tire measured in mm from sidewall to sidewall. This tire width is 215 mm.
- Aspect ratio is the ratio of the height of the tire's cross-section to its width. On our example, 60 means that the height is equal to 60% of the tire's width.
- Construction tells you how the layers of the tire were put together. "R" stands for radial, which means the layers run radially across the tire. "B" stands for bias construction, which means that the layers run diagonally across the tire.
- Rim diameter is the width in inches or cm of the wheel from one end to the other. The diameter of this wheel is 16 in. Always replace a tire on a rim with another tire of exactly the same rim diameter designation and suffix letters.
- Load index is an assigned number that corresponds with the load-carrying capacity of a tire. Most passenger car tire load indexes range from 75 to 100, but a few carry more. You'll also find the maximum load elsewhere on the tire sidewall, both in lbs and kg. Learn more about tire load index.
- Speed rating tells you the maximum service speed for a tire. A speed rating isn't, however, a recommendation to exceed speed limits, and doesn't indicate how well a tire handles or corners. Learn more about tire speed rating.