215/45 R17 Tyres Explained

215/45 R17 is a common tyre size for many mid size cars. Vehicles which require a blanace of responsive handling with reasonable comfort for everyday driving. The numbers explain the tyre size. 215 is the width of the tyre in millimetres. 45 tell us that the sidewall height is 45% of the tyre's width (about 96.8mm). At the end, R17 means the tyre fits a 17 inch wheel. You'll see this size on vehicles that need good grip. It's offered by premium brand like Continental, Pirelli, Bridgestone and Goodyear. mid range brands include Hankook, Kumho, Yokohama and Falken. You'll find budget choices from Westlake, Tomket, Mazzini and Wanli. Popular examples in 215/45 R17 here are the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 and the Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72. To confirm this is right for your car, check the tyre sidewall, the driver's door sticker or your vehicle handbook - or enter your registration for exact matches, including load and speed ratings.

The tyre size that you find on the sidewall of a tyre will tell you important information such as the width, profile and diameter of your tyre. In this case, for the tyre size 215/45 R17, this means the following: 215 - the width of the tyre in millimetres. I.e. 215mm wide. 45 - the height of the sidewall as a percentage of the width. In this case 45% R17 - the diameter of the tyre's inner rim in inches. Basically what size of wheel this is designed to fit onto. In this instance it is a 17 inch wheel.

There is no standard recommended tyre pressure for 215/45 R17 tyres, as each vehicle manufacturer will recommend their own optimal tyre pressure so you can enjoy the best performance from your vehicle. If you are unsure as to the correct tyre pressure for your 215/45 R17 tyres, there are a few different places you can look to find this information. Vehicle handbook - There is a section in most manufacturer handbooks which covers all the technical details for a tyre. This includes the tyre size, load rating, speed rating and tyre pressure. Tyre label - The tyre label is often found on the door jamb of the driver’s side. It is a small rectangular sticker which contains the information you need to know in regards to tyre pressure and tyre sizes. It should also tell you the tyre pressure recommendation

The height of your tyre's sidewall for the tyre size 215/45 R17 can be worked out by using the tyre's profile size. For the tyre size, the profile is 45. What this tells us is that the sidewall height is 45% of the cross-section width of the tyre. The sidewall height is determined by the distance between the rim line and the tread line. So, as this tyre has a cross-section width of 215mm, the height of the sidewall is 45% of 215 – which is 96.75mm.