The Parkers car valuation tool is very useful for giving you an accurate estimate of what a car is worth, and can even take some important variables into account – such as the number of options fitted and the vehicle’s mileage. But it won’t help you understand the exact condition of the exact vehicle in front of you, so you need to make sure you consider any potential purchase very carefully in person.
As an example of where you might need to look more closely, think about tyres. Not only do you need to make sure the tyres fitted are in good condition, you also need to make sure that they are the correct ones for the vehicle. As the only point of contact between you and the road surface, tyres are so important for the correct function of any motor vehicle.
But have you ever wondered what the writing on the side of the tyre actually means? This handy guide is here to help you make sense of it all.
How to make sense of tyre writing
Some of the things written on the side of a tyre are obvious. The make of tyre, for instance, which is hopefully something such as Continental, Michelin or Pirelli, rather than Triangle, Fate or Ditchfinder (yes, we made that last one up – but only the last one). But alongside this branding you will also find a string of seemingly random numbers and letters.
Turns out, these are not random at all, but coding for very specific information about the exact tyre you see before you. Taking 195/55 R16 87V as an example, here’s what all that gobbledegook means.
Starting at the beginning, 195/55 refers to the tyre’s width and the height of the sidewall (the sidewall being the area of rubber between the wheel and the top of the tyre). The 195 part is straightforward, as it’s the width in millimetres, but the 55 is more complicated as instead of being a specific measurement it’s the percentage of the first number.
This means that if you choose to fit a different width of the tyre, you’ll need to get a calculator out in order to correctly match the sidewall height with the new percentage. Best to just stick with what the car manufacturer recommends, we reckon.
The R16 part deals with the tyre’s construction and the size of the wheel it fits. R means radial – which is correct for every modern car; classic cars may have been fitted with crossply construction tyres instead when new. The number 16 is the diameter of the wheel in inches. Yes, inches for the wheel, yet millimetres for the tyre width. Such is the evolution of motoring.
Finally, the 87V element of our example refers to the load rating and the speed rating. An 87 load rating is code for 615kg, while the V means this particular tyre is rated for speeds of up to 149mph.
Once again, it’s vitally important that both of these things are correctly matched to the vehicle the tyre is fitted to, otherwise, it increases the risk of tyre failure while driving – something that’s best avoided (especially if you’re travelling at 149mph at the time).
How do I find out the correct size of tyre for my car?
Knowing all of the above won’t help you make sure the right tyres are fitted. Instead, you’ll need to look this up – either in the owner’s manual or by using the number plate checker on a tyre fitter’s website, such as Blackcirles.com. Then carefully compare that information with what’s written on the tyres that are currently fitted.
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