Reading the Tire's Sidewall - Discount Tire Co.

The graphic shows what each letter and number in the size of a tire indicates. In this example, the tire size is P205/65 R15. The other items on the tire's sidewall have further explanations and have links at the bottom of this page.

P
Passenger car tire. If there is no P before the size it would indicate it is a European metric tire. An LT before the size would designate a light truck tire.

205
This is the Section Width in millimeters. This measurement is taken from sidewall to sidewall.

65
This number refers to the height of the sidewall, or the Aspect Ratio. It is a percentage of the section width. In this example, you would take 65 percent of 205 millimeters and this would give you the sidewall height.

R
Radial tire construction.

15
Wheel diameter in inches.

89
Visit our Load Index page for more information.

H
Visit our Speed Rating page for more information.

Additional Tire Size Information
The tire size displayed on this website may include these abbreviations:

At the end of the tire size:
OWL - Outlined White Letters
RWL - Raised White Letters
RBL - Raised Black Letters
ORWL - Outlined Raised White Letters
W, WW, WSW - Whitewall, White Side Wall
B, BLK, BW, BSW - Blackwall, Black Side Wall
BSL - Black Serrated Letters
VSB - Vertical Serrated Band
XNW - Extra Narrow White Width
XL - Extra Load
REIN - Reinforced
C - C load range for LT designated tires
E - E load range for LT designated tires

Additional Sidewall Information
• Treadwear, Traction and Temperature
• Air Pressure
• Ply Construction