How to Read Tire Size
If you want to ensure your vehicle is cruising with the right wheels, understanding tire size is crucial. Lincoln of Troy is here to guide you through the process and help you make the best choice for your vehicle near Troy, Detroit, and Royal Oak, Michigan.
Read on to learn more about locating tire size, how to read tire size, and more.
Why It's Important to Have the Right Tire Size
As we dive deeper into understanding tire size and why it’s so important, we believe it’s crucial to list possible outcomes you can face if you end up equipping the wrong size including:
- Altered Speedometer and Odometer Readings
- Effects on Vehicle Handling and Performance
- Possible Strain on Suspension
- Reduction of Fuel Efficiency and Potential Rubbing
Keep these situations in mind as you begin to examine your car’s tires. Just learning how to read tire size correctly alone could help you bypass any possible roadblocks.
Where Can I Find a Car’s Tire Size?
When you start learning how to read tire size for your vehicle, we recommend you seek the manual first. If that isn’t available, you can check other places as well.
Begin your search for size on the sidewall of your car’s tires. If neither resource has the information you need, check the driver-side door jamb, inside the glove box, or within your gas tank hatch.
How Do I Read Tire Size?
If you’re reading the sidewall of a normal tire, you’ll notice a combination of letters and numbers, so let us dissect it for you.
Let’s say you’re reading the tire sidewall on a vehicle, and it displays “P 216 / 60 R 16 81s.” Which key components should you be paying attention to?
- Tire Width: Look at “216,” this number refers to the tire width and is always read in millimeters. In this example, this tire has a width of 216 millimeters.
- Aspect Ratio: The “60” in this demonstration refers to the aspect ratio; in short terms, that just refers to how tall your car’s tire profile is. Aspect ratios are normally calculated by dividing the sidewall tire height by its width, meaning, in this case, the tire height is 60% of its width.
- Rim Diameter: The “16” listed in this example refers to the tire’s rim diameter. The rim diameter represents the distance between the two bead seat areas where the tire is sealed onto the wheel.
- Load Index: The load index indicates how much weight, in pounds, the tire can support when fully inflated. So, the “81” that’s listed would mean 81 lbs. would be supported when inflated.
To conclude, you can find many sizing and “other” indicators on your car’s sidewall just by looking at the number and letter combinations. If you can’t find a number on your car’s tires, seek the manual first and then attempt other methods as needed.
Contact our helpful team for assistance.
How Can Our Service Center Help?
If you need further assistance on how to read tire size or would prefer that we put new, correct-sized tires on for you, our certified technicians are ready to help!
Contact our service center in the Troy, Detroit, and Royal Oak, MI, area or schedule a tire service via our easy-to-use service scheduling tool at Lincoln of Troy.
Make an Inquiry
* Indicates a required field