What is my tyre size?
It’s important to know how to read your?tyre?size to ensure you purchase the correct replacement tyres for your vehicle. In this article, we’ll explain how to find out your tyre size and how to read tyre sidewall markings.
Related: When should I replace my car tyres?
How do I find out my tyre size?
There are a few ways you can find the correct tyre size for your vehicle:
Read the tyre sidewall
The easiest way to find your tyre size is by simply looking on the sidewall of the tyre. All tyre manufacturers feature the tyre size on the sidewall.
Some premium vehicles such as Mercedes, however, have different size tyres on the front and back, so you need to ensure that you get the correct tyre size of the specific tyre that you’re looking to change.
Refer to your vehicle handbook
If you can’t find the tyre size on the sidewall, you’ll find it in the vehicle handbook.
Use our online tool
If you don’t have a vehicle handbook or the tyre size isn’t displayed on the tyre sidewall, you can retrieve your tyre size by imputing your vehicle registration into our?‘search by reg’?tyre size look up.
How to read my tyre size
Your tyre size consists of a series of letters and numbers, so it is important to distinguish what these mean.
Width
The first set of numbers indicates the width of the tyre from the tyre tread to the sidewall in mm.
Example - 205 = 205mm
Profile
The profile of the tyre is the next two numbers. This is the height of the tyre as a percentage of the tyre width.
Example – 55 = The height of the tyre is 55% the width of the tyre.
Wheel size
The wheel size consists of two factors.
R = The tyre construction
The R represents the construction of the tyre. In this case the R says that the tyre is a radial ply construction. It is very uncommon that you will come across a tyre designed for a car that isn’t a radial ply construction.
16 = Rim diameter
The 16 suggests that the rim is 16 inches in diameter.
Tyre speed rating
The speed rating also consists of two factors.
96 = Load index
The load index is a number that indicates what the maximum load capacity for that tyre. Many different tyres have varying load indexes as they purpose a wide variety of vehicles that vary in weight.
W = Speed symbol
The speed symbol indicates what speed the tyre can withstand. If you had a tyre with a low-speed symbol and put it on an extremely fast car, this can be dangerous as the tyre will not be able to operate at high speeds.
What are the risks of dangerous tyres?
Every year, dangerous tyres lead to around 5,000 convictions, 900 casualties, and 160 deaths or serious injuries. Not only that, but illegal tyres can end up costing you more than the price of a new set: you could face fines of up to £2500 and 3 points on your licence per illegal tyre, not to mention that if you're found to have illegal tyres in an accident, it can invalidate your insurance.
A free tyre check from National can make sure your four wheels are ready for the road. Book in now to stay safe on your journeys.
Book a Free Tyre Check
Want to know more about looking after your tyres? Check out our online tyre safety hub.
Where can I get my tyres changed?
After you’ve found your tyre size, you can begin browsing for new car tyres. At National Tyres and Autocare, we stock major tyre brands such as Continental, Bridgestone, Pirelli, Michelin, Goodyear and Dunlop.
On our website, you can search for tyres by size, or by entering your vehicle registration number. If you decide to search by reg, it's important that you manually check whether the tyre size is correct to ensure the tyres can be fitted.
Once you have chosen your desired tyre, simply add it to your basket, choose a fitting date at one of our 250 nationwide garages and make the purchase. It has also never been easier to afford the tyres you want with our National payment assist, spreading the cost over 4 payments.
Related: Click here to find your nearest branch
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