215/45 R16 Tyres Explained

215/45 R16 is a common tyre size that is suitable for many UK cars. The numbers show the tyre's dimensions. 215 is the width in millimetres. 45 is the sidewall height - in this instance 45% of 215mm (about 97mm). Finally R16 means the tyre fits 16 inch wheels. You'll see this size on a wide range of family cars, hatchbacks and compact saloons. Premium brands that make tyres in this size include Michelin, Continental, Bridgestone and Goodyear. mid range options include Hankook, Kumho, Yokohama and Falken. Budget choices shown include Westlake, Zeetex, Mazzini and Royal Black. Popular examples in 215/45 R16 here are the Michelin Pilot Sport 3 and the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2. To confirm this is the right size for your car, check the tyre sidewall, the driver's door sticker or your vehicle handbook. You can also enter your registration for exact matches.

The first 3 sets of numbers that you will see when reading a tyre size tell you the width, profile and diameter of your tyre. In this case, for the tyre size 215/45 R16 this is broken down as follows: 215 - the width of the tyre in millimetres. In this case 215mm wide. 45 - the height of the sidewall as a percentage of the width. In this case 45% R16 - the diameter of the tyre's inner rim in inches. Essentially what size of wheel this is intended to be fitted onto. For this size, that is a 16 inch wheel

If you are looking for the recommended tyre pressure for 215/45 R16 tyres, you will find that this will depend on the manufacturer and model. Each vehicle manufacturer has their own tyre pressure recommendation for their model, that will deliver an optimal performance for your vehicle. Check the following if you are unsure what the correct tyre pressure is for your 215/45 R16 tyres Tyre label - this is often the best place to find your tyre pressure information. It is located on the door jamb on the driver’s side of the vehicle. It is a small rectangular label that provides the driver with the recommended tyre pressure and tyre sizes. Vehicle handbook - Quite often the vehicle handbook with contain a section that relates to the technical details for the tyre. This should include the required tyre size, load rating, speed rating and recommended tyre pressure.

The sidewall height of a 215/45 R16 tyre is calculated by using the profile information of the tyre size. In this instance 45. This tells us that it is 45% of the tyre's cross-section width. When looking at a tyre, the sidewall height is the distance between the tread line of the tyre and the rim line. Given that this tyre size has a cross-section width which equals 215mm, we can work out that the sidewall height is 45% of 215 – this comes to 96.75mm.