Do You Know How To Read A Tyre? This May Help

For example, your tyre sidewall marking says, 195/55 16 R 87V, you can read it as:

195 – Section Width

It is the tyre width in mm. It is measurement of the sidewalls of a tyre that starts from the surface where it connects with the rim to the part where the tread begins.

55 – Aspect Ratio

It is the height of the sidewall expressed as a percentage of the tread width. Here, an aspect ratio of 55 indicates that the section height of the tyre is 55% of the section width of the tyre.

R – Construction

R represents the Radial construction of the tyre. You will also find the letter B written on several tyres that represents the cross ply construction type. However, radial tyres are the most popular ones.

16 – Rim Diameter

It is the inside diameter of the tyre. It indicates the diameter of the rim or rim height and is measured in inches.

87 – Load Index

It is the maximum weight limit that a tyre can carry. It is represented by a two digit or three digit numbers.
For example, if the load index given on the tyre is 95, then it depicts that the tyre is capable of carrying a maximum load of 690 kg. This conversion from load index to load in kg is determined by look-up table.

V – Speed Rating

It is the maximum speed that the car can maintain with the given tyres and is denoted by English Alphabets. For example, if a tyre has got a “S” rating then it can reach a maximum speed of 180 km/h.As with the load index, each letter corresponds to an equivalent in