Understanding Tyre Sizes

The size of a tyre is printed onto the side of the tyre – this area is known as the sidewall. When looking for the size, you will see that it is made up of a series of numbers and letters.

Each section breaks down as follows:

205 - Width of the tyre in millimetres
55 - Height of the tyre sidewall as a percentage of the width. In this case 55%. Also known as the aspect ratio
R16 - The diameter of the tyre's inner rim in inches
91 - Load Rating of the tyre
V - Speed Rating of the tyre. Indicates the maximum speed for the tyre when at full load

You can also find the tyre size on the tyre placard which is usually located on the pillar on the Driver’s side. We recommend that you double check the size provided against what you currently have fitted to your vehicle as the size may have been changed depending on the age and model of your vehicle over the years.

To discover what else you can find on the tyre placard, check out this article about Tyre Pressures.