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Tire Sizing Information

You probably have noticed the group of letters and numbers on the side of your tires before, but not all know what they stand for. They may seem a bit perplexing, however they're actually quite easy to understand. In this case we will focus on one of the most bought tire sizes: P215/60R16 89S.

The First Letters
In this case the P is P-metric (you may want to remember it as Passenger) meaning that the tire is intended for use on regular vehicles. This can include Vans, SUVs, Light Trucks, and certainly regular cars.

You may also see the following:
T which is put on the spare - it means temporary.
LT is for Light Truck metric and is designed for tires on automobiles mean for carrying heavy cargo and trailers. SUVs and Trucks will often have these.
C stands for commercial and will typically be seen on delivery trucks and vans that are designed carry large loads.
ST which stands for Special Trailer and should only be used on utility, boat, or car trailers. They should not be used on regular cars or light trucks.

If the tire doesn't contain a first letter it simply means the tire size is metric size and commonly found on cars from Europe.

To learn about what style or tire you should use consider visiting: What are the different types of tires

Second Place
This is the set of numbers following the first group of letters. It defines how wide the tire is from the widest portion of the outside sidewall to the widest portion of the interior sidewall. In this case the numbers stand for 215 millimeters (nearly 8.5 inches - just divide the number by 25.4 to find it in inches).

And in third...
After the first group of digits and a slash is a 2 digit value that is in place for the tire's aspect ratio. This is the percentage of the tire's sidewall height compared to the section height. In this case it is sixty which means the section height is around 5 inches. The bigger the value is the taller the sidewall is and the lower the number the smaller the sidewall will be.

Next Up
After the second set of numbers is a letter or two (R in this example). This is in place to define the tire's internal construction. In this case it is R which means Radial. This will be seen on pretty much all cars. Another letter you may see is D which means the plies are diagonal. This will most commonly be found on spares and light trucks. If the letter is a B it means Belted and implies that the plies crisscross and are also reinforced with belts. This will not be seen on many cars these days.

Next Up
With the 2nd group of letters you can see a second letter, most usually Z, which stands for the tire's speed rating.

The Final Lap
A lot of tires will also have a final collection of numbers and letters. These stand for the tire's Service Description. They define the speed rating and load index. In this case the last three are 89S. This means that the tire has a load index of 89 and a speed rating of S. 89 equates to 1323 pounds (per tire). S means the tire is safe at speeds of up to 112 miles per hour.

I hope this has helped explain how tire ratings and sizes are defined. If you wish to learn more about tire sizes or what new or OEM tires can fit on your car check out Tire Info or if you plan to read about the ratings each individual tire has been given by the Government consider reading

About the Author

Long time car enthusiast

LG Rumor Touch Body Glove Snap-On Case with Removable Belt Clip - Original (OEM) 9165502

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