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Understand your Tyre Sizes

Shape image
How to read inch sizes

35X12.50R15LT E

Diameter : 35

The 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 : 12.50

The 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 : R

The 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.

Rim / Wheel Diameter : 15

The wheel diameter of this tire size is 15 inches. The tire is designed to be mounted on an 15 inchRim / wheel diameter.

Tire Class : LT

The tire class of this tire size is 'LT' which means it is a Light Truck tire.

Load Range : E

Tire 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.

How to read metric sizes:

P255/60R17 102V

Tire Class :P

Tire 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.
P stands for passenger vehicle tire. P-class tires include cars, SUVs, crossovers, minivans and smaller pickup trucks.
LT means light truck tire, designed for vehicles that are capable of carrying heavy loads, towing trailers, or for those looking for an extra heavy duty option. These are often equipped on three-quarter or 1 ton trucks and SUVs.
ST stands for Special Trailer. These tire sizes are meant for trailers, including fifth wheels and other travel trailers, as well as boat and utility trailers. If there’s no letter before the first number, you have a metric tire most commonly referred to as European size. It’s also measured in millimeters but may have a different load capacity than a P or LT tire.

Section Width : 255

The 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 : 60

What Is The Tire Aspect Ratio? The aspect ratio is the height of your tire’s sidewall expressed as a percentage of its width. So, if your tire has a width of 255mm and its aspect ratio 60%, it's sidewall height would be 153mm.

Tire Construction :R

The 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.

Rim / Wheel Diameter : 17

The wheel diameter of this tire size is 17 inches. The tire is designed to be mounted on an 17" Rim/wheel diameter.

Load Index : 102

The 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 : V

The 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.

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 : 33X12.50R15
The 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.

Example B : 285/75R16
On metric tires the first number is your width of the tire in millimeters. In example "B" this reads 285mm. There are 25.4 mm in one inch. To convert 285mm to inches you divide 285 by 25.4 to get 11.22". So the width of a 285mm tire is 11.22". The next number represents the percentage of the width (285mm or 11.22") that is the sidewall height of the tire. In this example the side wall height of the tire would be 75% of 11.22" which is 8.41" or 214mm. To then get the overall diameter of the tire you would add the two sidewalls measurements and the diameter of the wheel. In example "B" the last number "16" is the wheel size the tire will fit on. Therefore the sidewall twice would be 8.41 x 2 = 16.82 plus the wheel "16" makes the tire height 16.82 + 16 = 32.82. So a 285/75R16 metric tire would calculate to an inch measurement tire of 32.82X11.22R16.
Remember, not all tire sizes are manufactured in both metric and inch sizes so learning how to read tire size can be a valuable tool for anyone in the market for new tires.

LT Load Ranges

Load Range Ply Rating Max Load Pressure
B435 psi
C650 psi
D865 psi
E1080 psi
F1295 psi
Load Range Ply Rating Max Load Pressure

Passenger Load Ranges

Load Range Symbol Max Load Pressure
Light LoadLL35 psi
Standard LoadSL35/44 psi
Extra LoadXL41/50 psi
Load Range Symbol Max Load Pressure

Speed Ratings

Speed ​​Rating Letter Maximum Allowable Speed m/h - ​​km/h Vehicle Types
L75 mph / 120 km/hOff-Road Tires
M81 mph / 130 km/hTemporary Spares
N87 mph / 140km/hWinter Tires
P93 mph / 150 km/hWinter Tires
Q99 mph / 160 km/hLight Truck Tires
R106 mph / 170 km/hLight Truck Tires
S112 mph / 180 km/hLight Truck Tires
T118 mph / 190 km/hSedans
U124 mph / 200 km/hSedans
H130 mph / 210 km/hSports Cars
V149 mph / 240 km/hSports Cars
W168 mph / 270 km/hSuper Sports Cars
Y186 mph / 300 km/hSuper Sports Cars
Z > 300 km/hother
Letter Max Speed Vehicle Types

Load Ratings 1 lb = 0.454 kg

Load Index Max lbs Load Index Max lbs Load Index Max lbs
7176186116872783
87 1201 73805 88 1235
74 82789 1279 75 853
90 1323 76882 91 1356
77 908 921389 78 937
93 143379 963 94 1477
80 992 951521 811019
961565 82 1047 971609
83 1074 98 165384 1102
99 1709 851135 1001764
Load Index Max lbs Load Index Max lbs Load Index Max lbs
Load Index Max lbs Load Index Max lbs Load Index Max lbs
101 1819 1162756 102 1874
117 2833 103 1929118 2910
104 1984 119 2998105 2039
1203086 106 2094 1213197
107 2149 1223307 1082205
123 3417 109 2271124 3527
1102337 125 3638111 2403
126 3748 1122469 127 3858
113 2535 1283968 114 2601
129 4079115 2679 1304189
Load Index Max lbs Load Index Max lbs Load Index Max lbs