How to Read Your Tire Size and What Does it Mean
- LC Tires
- Mar 14
- 2 min read
Every tire has a combination of letters and numbers on the sidewall of the tire.
A typical tire size looks like P215/65R16 95H.
SERVICE TYPE
The first letter represents the type of vehicle the tire is designed for.
P: Passenger tires, this is the most common type of tire
LT: Light truck tires, designed for pickup trucks
T: Temporary tires, also known as spare wheels
ST: Special trailer tires
C: Commercial tires, used on delivery vans and trucks
Metric or Euro-metric: Tires without a letter, usually made in Europe for European cars
WIDTH (To determine what your tire size is.)
The following three numbers after the Service Type is the tire width, tire width is normally calculated in millimeters.
ASPECT RATIO To determine what your tire size is.)
The two numbers after the tire width represent the tires aspect ratio. This is how tall the tires profile is.
Tire aspect ratios are expressed as percentages and are calculated by dividing the tires sidewall height by its section width and multiplying it by one hundred.
Aspect Ratio (%) = ( Tire Height / Tire Width ) x 100
CONSTRUCTION
The letter that follows the aspect ratio is the tire construction type. The three that will be seen are "R" for radial "D" for diagonal and rarely "B" may be seen for belted bias. The most common on tires seen in the United States are "R" for radial.
WHEEL DIAMETER
The numbers that follows the Tire Construction represents the wheel diameter, this is the size of a rim the tire would fit on.
LOAD INDEX
The load index number represents how much weight a tire can support when inflated to the tires maximum air pressure based on the standard chart (shown above).
SPEED RATING
Similar to a tires Load Index a chart is used to calculate a cars speed rating as well. This letter represents the speed at which a tire is able to drive safely for an extended period of time. The maximum speed at which a vehicle is operated should not be greater than the lowest speed rating on all the tires mounted.
Now you're ready to drive safely and purchase smarter!
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