225/50 R18 Tyres Explained

225/50 R18 is a common tyre size for many mid sized cars. The numbers are simple. 225 is the tyre width in millimetres. 50 is the aspect ratio, so the sidewall height is 50% of 225mm (about 112.5mm). R18 means the tyre fits an 18 inch wheel. You'll see this size on cars that need a mix of comfort and sporty handling. It's widely offered as summer, all season and winter fitments. This size is available from premium manufacturers such as Michelin, Continental, Pirelli, Bridgestone and Goodyear. mid range brands on the page include Hankook, Kumho and Falken. Budget options include Leao, Mazzini and Tomket. Popular choices in 225/50 R18 include the Michelin Primacy 5 and the Continental PremiumContact 7. Confirm this is right for your car by checking the tyre sidewall, the driver's door sticker or your vehicle handbook, or enter your registration for exact matches.

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 225/50 R18, this means the following: 225 - the width of the tyre in millimetres. I.e. 225mm wide. 50 - the height of the sidewall as a percentage of the width. In this case 50% R18 - 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 18 inch wheel.

There is no standard recommended tyre pressure for 225/50 R18 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 225/50 R18 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 225/50 R18 can be worked out by using the tyre's profile size. For the tyre size, the profile is 50. What this tells us is that the sidewall height is 50% 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 225mm, the height of the sidewall is 50% of 225 – which is 112.5mm.