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Tyres Explained

You will find the size of a tyre on its sidewall. With a quick explanation as to what the different numbers mean, you will see that it is very quick and very easy to find out a tyre's size.

 

Speed Rating Table

Each tyre manufactured and regulated by the European Regulatory Authorities has a speed rating on the tyre wall.

The code relating to the speed rating is usually displayed just after the load capactity of the tyre, for example: 195/45 R16 85 V.

Speed Rating Mile/Hour Kilometers/Hour
N 87 140
P 93 150
Q 99 160
R 106 170
S 112 180
T 118 190
U 124 200
H 130 210
V 149 240
Z 150+ 240+
W 168 270
Y 186 300

 

Load Capacity Table

Each tyre manufactured and regulated by the European Regulatory Authorities has a load capacity, this is the weight the tyre can safely handle and can be checked using the manufacturers guidelines.

The code relating to the load capacity is found on the tyre wall and is usually displayed before the speed rating, for example: 195/45 R16 85 V.

Load Index Load In KG Load Index Load In KG Load Index Load In KG
62 265 84 500 106 950
63 272 85 515 107 975
64 280 86 530 108 1000
65 290 87 545 109 1030
66 300 88 560 110 1060
67 307 89 580 111 1090
68 315 90 600 112 1120
69 325 91 615 113 1150
70 335 92 630 114 1180
71 345 93 650 115 1215
72 355 94 670 116 1250
73 365 95 690 117 1285
74 375 96 710 118 1320
75 387 97 730 119 1360
76 400 98 750 120 1400
77 412 99 775 121 1450
78 425 100 800 122 1500
79 437 101 825 123 1550
80 450 102 850 124 1600
81 462 103 875 125 1650
82 475 104 900 126 1700
83 487 105 925    

 

New Tyre Label Explained Here

 

Tread Depth


When it comes to car safety, checking your tyre tread should be high on your list of priorities there are a surprising number of people driving around on our roads with illegal tyres without even realising. The legal tyre limit is 1.6mm and if you are found to be driving with illegal tyres you run the risk of a fine and penalty points. Your tyres will always be checked as part of your annual MOT and service however it is your responsibility to check them throughout the rest of the year.

We know it’s one of those tasks that you sometimes forget or vow “to do tomorrow”, however, aside from breaking the law, if your tyre tread isn’t deep enough vehicle stopping distance is dramatically increased. Your tyre will also have less contact with the road and your vehicle is at an increased risk of skidding and aquaplaning in wet weather.

Whilst the legal limit is 1.6mm, many tests have been carried out to test how safe tyres are at this tread depth .Breaking performance is surprisingly poor when a tyre has a tread depth at the legal limit. As a result of these findings, many tyre safety campaigners recommend that the legal limit be raised to 3mm to reduce the number of accidents on our roads.

Tread depth image

So how can you quickly check you are within the law and have safe tyres? Tyre Safe, one of the UK’s leading tyre safety organisations, recommends that you take the 20p test. The test is simple. Insert a 20p coin into the lowest tread depth of your tyres. If you can’t see the outer rim around the edge of the coin, then your tyre is safe and has a minimum of 3mm tread depth. If you CAN see the rim then your tyre tread is less than 3mm and should be checked by a professional.


It’s important to remember that your tread depth won’t necessarily be the same all the way around your tyre, so be sure to check it in several different places. You should aim to check your tyres every two weeks – especially if you use your vehicle on a daily basis. It’s also a good idea to check your tyre pressure every two weeks too, that way, you know you will be prepared for any bad weather that comes our way!

If you are concerned about driving during wintry conditions, completing these tests is a good start in making sure your vehicle is safe. If you want to be extra sure you will be safe whilst driving this winter, you could invest in winter tyres that are specially designed to cope with snow and icy conditions.