What do different numbers and letters mean in the side of the tyre? (for example 205 / 55 R 16 94 T XL) / Nokian Tyres (2024)

FAQs

What do different numbers and letters mean in the side of the tyre? (for example 205 / 55 R 16 94 T XL) / Nokian Tyres? ›

A letter represents your tyre's Speed Rating or Speed Index--the maximum speed you can safely drive your car when tyres are properly inflated and operating under load. A higher rating gives you better handling and control at increased speeds.

A letter represents your tyre's Speed Rating or Speed Index--the maximum speed you can safely drive your car when tyres are properly inflated and operating under load. A higher rating gives you better handling and control at increased speeds.

This letter indicates the type of construction used within the casing of the tyre, which in our example is “R” for Radial construction. Other examples are “B” for Bias-ply or “D” for Diagonal construction. Radial tyres are the most common tyres on the road today.

Following the tire size, you will see a set of numbers followed by a letter. Let's use 94 H as an example from our graph shown above. The first set of 2-3 numbers are the load index followed by a letter indicating the speed rating. In this case, the load index is 94 and the speed rating is H.

The first three numbers (205) indicate the width of the tyre tread in millimeters. 60 is the aspect ratio or profile of tyre. This is indicated in percentage of the tyre width. “R” stands for the construction method of the tyre indicating the tyre is a radial tyre.

The first number (205) tells you the width of the tyre in millimetres. The second number (55) tells you the height of the tyre as a percentage of the width. The letter (R) stands for “Radial” which is the type of tyre. The number (16) tells you the size of the wheel rim in inches.

Reinforced tyres, formerly marked REINF on the sidewall (for "reinforced"), are now called XL (Extra Load), as opposed to SL (Standard Load). The load index of the tyre (which is marked on the sidewall of the tyre) is higher on an XL tyre than on an SL tyre, which means that it is able to support a heavier vehicle.

For example, 205 means that your tyre is nominally 205 mm wide. The second number is the relationship between a tyre's sidewall height and the tyre's width. It is expressed as a percentage. For example, 55 indicates that the sidewall height, between the top of the tread and the rim, is 55% of the tyre width.

R stands for radial construction. B means belted bias and D stands for diagonal bias construction. 16 The last dimension listed in the size is the diameter of the wheel rim, which is most often measured in inches. If a tire size reads, LT235/75R15 104/101S, the LT indicates that this tire is meant for Light Truck use.

For example, a tyre that reads 255/40 R20 101V shows V to be the tyre speed rating. The tyre speed rating chart below shows that V corresponds to 149 mph. Therefore, tyres with this speed rating should not be driven over 149mph.

What does f mean on a tire? ›

So typically we would say a tire is 6-ply rated, 8-ply rated, or 10-ply rated, and those correspond to Load Range C, D, and E respectively. So of course a Load Range F does correspond to a 12-ply rating.

“H” represents the speed rating, which is how fast the tires can go based on their load capacity. This rating ranges from A – Z. “H” indicates a speed rating of up to 130 mph.

If these are intended to be a winter set, then the slightly narrow tire will work and should have no problems. The 205 tire is 8.07 inch wide, while the 215 tire is 8.46 inches wide. That is about 0.39″ difference in width. Traction will not be affected too much by that small decrease.

Depending on the tyres that you buy, you may see another combination of letters after the Run Flat digits. These letters are the hom*ologation of the tyre; this means the tyres were designed to be specifically used for certain vehicle manufacturers.

The C-Type tire, on the other hand, is specifically meant as a commercial-rated tire, with a higher load rating for a given size than many LT tires. These C-Type tires will show the letter “C” immediately after the wheel diameter in the tire code. Example: 225/75R16C.

Tires for your tire size 205/65R15 94H

The 205/65R15 94H tire has the following features: the first three digits 205 refer to the width of the tire in millimetres. The second two-digit number 65 refers to the ratio between the height of the sidewall and the width of the tire.

"P" stands for passenger; "215" represents the width of the tire in millimeters; "65" is the ratio of height to width; "R" means radial; "15" is the nominal rim diameter code; and "95H" is the optional service description that consists of the load index (95) and the speed symbol (H).

On the sidewall of your tyre you will find a number followed by a letter. The tyre load rating or load index (in our example: 91) is a code which corresponds to a maximum load (in kg) that can be carried by a single tyre.

There are three main visual symbols that provide information about the tyre. These informative symbols focus on fuel-efficiency, breaking distances on wet roads, and tyre noise levels The fuel and petrol pump symbol relates to the fuel-efficiency when a vehicle is using this tyre.

The 265/60R18 110H tire has the following features: the first three digits 265 refer to the width of the tire in millimetres. The second two-digit number 60 refers to the ratio between the height of the sidewall and the width of the tire.