How to use a Tire Size Calculator

A tire conversion chart and a tire size calculator are handy tools when you want to determine the best type of tire to buy for your passenger vehicle. There are numerous tire sizes, each with different speed ratings, load ratings, aspect ratios and tread width. Reading the sidewall of a tire can be like trying to decode hieroglyphs if you are uneducated about such matters. That is why is good to know the basics of a metric to standard tire calculator so you can read a tire specs with ease and make comparisons between models.

Tire Size Calculator

A tire calculator can help you compare different types of tires and see a detailed analysis of both. The process of doing so is easy. The first step is to find an online tool like the 1010 tire calculator. You'll need to have a few different tire sizes in mind to compare, and once you have them noted you can begin.

Enter in the Numbers

A tire's information can be found on its sidewall. You will see something like this: 185/60-14. 185 is the tire's width in millimeters. 60 is the aspect ratio, a figure used to determine the sidewall height. 14 is the wheel diameter. The tire's width in inches can be calculated by dividing the width in millimeters by 25.4. To determine the tire diameter, multiply 2 x the width in millimeters x the aspect ratio and divide by 2540. Add this figure to the wheel diameter to get the tire diameter.

It looks like this:   Tire diameter (in) = 2 x section width x aspect ratio   + wheel diameter

                                                                           2540

A tire calculator determines the width in inches for you and compares two or more tires. From the comparison, you will learn the number of revolutions per mile, the sidewall height and the tire diameter.

A tire calculator is a great way to compare several tires at once, giving you an idea of the best kind of tire for your vehicle and rim style. Tires come in many varieties, so you will need to do some comparing before you settle on one.