225/50 R17 Tyres Explained

225/50 R17 is a common tyre size for many family cars and compact executive vehicles. The numbers explain the tyre dimensions. 225 is the tread width in millimetres. 50 is the aspect ratio, so the sidewall height is 50% of 225mm (about 112.5mm). R17 means the tyre fits a 17 inch wheel. You'll find this size on cars that need steady motorway performance and comfortable urban driving. It's available from premium manufacturers such as Michelin, Continental, Pirelli, Bridgestone and Goodyear. mid range choices include Hankook, Kumho, Yokohama and Falken. For budget options look for Wanli, Tomket, Mazzini or Royal Black. Popular models in 225/50 R17 include the Michelin CrossClimate 3 and the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2. To confirm this is right 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, and always check the required load and speed rating.

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 225/50 R17 this is broken down as follows: 225 - the width of the tyre in millimetres. In this case 225mm wide. 50 - the height of the sidewall as a percentage of the width. In this case 50% R17 - 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 17 inch wheel

If you are looking for the recommended tyre pressure for 225/50 R17 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 225/50 R17 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 225/50 R17 tyre is calculated by using the profile information of the tyre size. In this instance 50. This tells us that it is 50% 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 225mm, we can work out that the sidewall height is 50% of 225 – this comes to 112.5mm.