Buying New Car Tyres: Tips on Picking the Correct Tyre Size

Posted on: 16 November 2017

Many motorists often forget just how important their tyres are when it comes to ensuring optimal vehicle safety and performance until there is a mandatory car inspection coming up. Tyres are the main point of contact between a vehicle and the road surface when driving. Hence, the condition of the tyres significantly affects vehicle safety and performance.

If you no longer enjoy a smooth ride because your car tyres are old and excessively worn, you will need to replace them. However, you should know that the new tyres available on the automobile market come in different types and sizes, so you will need to choose tyres that fit your vehicle.

Here's how you can determine what tyre size to buy:

Consult your car owner's manual to obtain information on your tyre size.

Your car manufacturer will make a recommendation regarding what size of tyres is suited to your vehicle. If your owner's manual is missing, you can read the information from the information placard label on your vehicle. The placard is usually attached to various components of the vehicle including in the glove box, on the interior part of the boot lid, on the edge of driver's door frame or under the front bonnet of the car.

If you own an older car model and you can't locate the placard containing information on your tyre size, it is likely that the label could have been painted over — but it's there. You can search your car manufacturer's website to retrieve the information you need. 

Learn how to read your tyre size.

Perhaps the most difficult part when it comes to learning your tyre size is deciphering the tyre codes indicated in your car owner's manual or information placard. The codes comprise both letters and numbers. To know the correct tyre size for your vehicle, you will need to decipher information on your tyre width, aspect ratio and wheel diameter.

The width of your tyres is measured from sidewall to sidewall, usually in millimetres. On passenger cars, it typically comes after the letter 'P', which is short for 'passenger cars'. The aspect ratio is the two-digit number that follows the slash mark that comes after the tyre width. It is the ratio of the tyre's cross-sectional height to the tyre's width. Wheel diameter simply indicates the size of the wheel over which a new tyre is to be fitted.

The staff at a reputable tyre centre will know which tyres size is suited to your car, so don't hesitate to seek help if you're unsure about which tyres you should choose.

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