For new car owners, a tyre change may not be a smooth or an easy task. With the hundreds of car tyres available in the market today, it is very challenging to find the right tyre for your car – most especially if you have no idea what to consider. Aside from factors like location and lifestyle, one of the most important things to consider in choosing the right car tyre is size.

There is basically no problem when it comes to choosing the right size of tyre for your car if you bought it brand new. However, vehicle owners who bought their rides second hand might have considerable difficulty in trying to figure out the right tyre size for their vehicles.

The right tyre size is usually indicated on the tyre’s sidewall. But again, if you happen to have bought your vehicle second hand, there is a high possibility that the previous owner might have not purchased the right tyre size for the vehicle. Turning to the tyre’s sidewall is then redundant. The best thing to do in times like these is to look up the recommended tyre size of the vehicle on the internet or on the vehicle’s handbook (if it comes with one).

Car tyre size usually comes in a code which consists of letters and numbers. These letters and numbers may indicate any of the following: tyre width, tyre sidewall height, the make or construction of the tyre, the diameter of the inner rim, the speed rating and the load index.

The tyre width and the tyre sidewall height usually come first and are expressed in numbers. The first set of numbers usually indicates the tyre’s width in millimeters. The second set of numbers indicates the tyre sidewall’s height in but not in millimeters. Rather, the second set of numbers indicates the aspect ratio or the height of the tyre sidewall in proportion to the tyre width.

You will also encounter the letter R in looking for the tyre size. R stands for “radial” which refers to the vertical steel lines that radiate out from the inner rim. The number that follows the letter R indicates the diameter of the inner rim in inches.

The last two letter and number combination indicates the speed rating (which comes in letters) and the load index (which comes in digits). The speed rating refers to the maximum speed of the tyre at full load while the load index tells of the maximum load the vehicle is able to take.