At first glance, the series of letters and numbers printed on the sidewall of your car’s tires appears unintelligible. However, John Lee Mazda is here to show you how to read tire size – and when you’re done with this analysis, you’ll have no problem differentiating between aspect ratio and tire type.

Tire Type

The typical tire size is a series of around nine letters and numbers. The letter "P" at the beginning of the series indicates that the tire is a P-Metric tire, which means it’s intended for passenger vehicles. Likewise, the letters "LT” confirm that the tire was designed for light trucks. A third variation, which you probably won’t see at our Panama City, FL, Mazda dealership, is a tire size with no letters at the beginning – indicating a Euro metric tire. 

Tire Width

After the letter denoting tire type, you’ll see a three-digit number in the tire size. This refers to the tire width – in other words, the width of the tire as measured in millimeters from sidewall to sidewall. For example, in a size P215/65 R15 tire at John Lee Mazda, the width is 215 millimeters.

Aspect Ratio

The two-digit number after the tire width is the aspect ratio. This is the ratio of the height of the tire's cross-section to its width. For example, in a size P215/65 R15 tire, the 65 is the aspect ratio. This means that the height is equal to 65% of the tire's width.

Construction

After the aspect ratio comes a letter. In many cases, this letter will be "R" which stands for radial. This confirms the radial construction of the tire, which means that the layers run radially across the tire. If you have questions about other tire construction types, our Mazda parts experts will be happy to answer them.

Wheel Diameter

The last important number in the tire size code is the wheel diameter. This is the size of the wheel measured from one end to the other. The number represents the size of the wheel that the tire is intended to fit. So a size P215/65 R15 tire is made for a wheel with a 15-inch diameter.

Shop for MAZDA Tires at John Lee MAZDA

Now that you know how to read tire size, we invite you to contact John Lee Mazda to order from our selection of quality tires. With help from our experienced Mazda service team, you’ll find the perfect tires for your car.