Tyre Sidewall Explained
At first glance the lettering on the side of a tyre looks complicated, but, with a quick explanation it all becomes clear. From the lettering you can gain seven pieces of information relating you the exact specification of you tyre. In other words, it tells you anything that you may need to know about the tyre.
Now you might be asking: what are the seven pieces of information? It's a good question and one that we've anticipated. Using the example tyre above, check out the table below for the answer:
| Sidewell Marking | Explanation |
|---|---|
| 205 | Width of the tyre in millimetres |
| 50 | Height of the tyre sidewall as a percentage of the width. In this case 50% of 205mm. Also know as the aspect ratio. |
| R | Radial Construction |
| 15 | The diameter of the tyre's inner rim in inches |
| 91 | Load Capacity of Tyre (See Load Table). In this case its 615kg |
| V | Speed Symbol. Indicates the max. speed for the tyre at full load. In this case 149.1mph. |
| E4 | ECE type approval mark, which demonstrates the tyre has been tested as high quality by the European Regulatory Authorities. All Tyres sold by Blackcircles.com carry this mark. |