Tyres
Your cars tyres are vital in bringing it to a safe and controlled stop. But even a tyre with the legal minimum tread depth of 1.6mm takes much longer to stop than a brand new one. And when road surfaces become more treacherous, for example, following rain or snow, the condition of your tyres is of even greater importance. Fortunately, we offer a range of tyres at competitive prices.
Your tyres are the only point of contact between your car and the road, making regular maintenance checks and correct replacements a key consideration. Not only do tyres affect the acceleration, steering and stopping distance of your car, they are also key factors in improving fuel economy and reducing CO2 emissions.
To help maintain your tyres, our Trained Technicians can check the tread depth, pressure, appearance and condition of your tyres free of charge. If your tyres need attention, you will be provided with advice on what is required.
To book a tyre check or receive a quote for a replacement tyre, simply contact Ricci Concept on 01482 322446
Reading the tyre sidewall
On the tyre sidewall there is information similar to the example below. We will try to explain the meaning of the individual numbers (highlighted in red) so you can identify the correct tyre for your vehicle.
Width
205/55 R16 91W
This number is the width of the tyre in millimeters. This is the most important number to describe a tyre's contact patch.
For example, a 215-width, 17-inch tyre may look great, but all things being equal, a 245-width, 15-inch tyre will out-corner it every time, because the contact patch is wider.
Aspect ratio
205/55 R16 91W
This is the height of the sidewall from the rim to the tread, expressed as a percentage of the tread width.
For example, if the tyre is 205 mm wide, and its aspect ratio is 50, then the sidewall is about 102.5 mm tall (50 percent of 205 mm).
Sidewall height is important for a number of reasons:
- As you move up to larger wheels, or down to smaller ones, a corresponding change needs to happen in the sidewall height of the tyre in order for the rolling diameter of the wheel and tyre combination to be as close to stock as possible. This will ensure the accuracy of your speedometer and prevent unwanted alignment changes.
- The sidewall height affects the turn-in feel (the responsiveness you feel at the steering wheel) and the ride quality.
- Lower aspect ratio (shorter sidewall) provides better turn-in response than a higher aspect ratio, but at the expense of less break-away warning and a more jarring ride, in extreme cases, even exposing the wheels to potential bending and breaking damage from potholes and other surface irregularities.
Wheel size
R16 91W
This indicated the size of the wheel and is measured in inches e.g. 16 inch
Speed Rating
The tyre speed rating (i.e. W) is the maximum speed for which the tyre is rated. For example, the W rating identifies speeds up to 168 mph.
Speed ratings are based on scientific tests where the tyre is run at speeds in 6.2 mph steps in 10 minute increments until the required speed has been met.
You will find your speed rating on the side of your tyre at the end of a series of numbers - as follows: 205/55 R16 91W
The following table shows what the maximum speed that each index specification is able to achieve
| Speed Rating |
Miles/Hour |
Kilometers/Hour |
Speed Rating |
Miles/Hour |
Kilometers/Hour |
| N |
87 |
140 |
U |
124 |
200 |
| P |
93 |
150 |
H |
130 |
210 |
| Q |
99 |
160 |
V |
149 |
240 |
| R |
106 |
170 |
Z |
150 |
240 |
| S |
112 |
170 |
W |
168 |
270 |
| T |
118 |
190 |
Y |
186 |
300 |
Tyre Load Rating
The load capacity of a tyre determines what weight each tyre is able to carry.
It is vital that you check with your manufacturer what capacity should be put on your car. In some cases your insurance can become void if you select the incorrect tyres.
The load rating is generally found after the diameter reading and before the speed rating on the sidewall marking, like so:
205/55 R16 91W
| 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 |
. |
. |
To book your tyre change contact us today. |
