What Tires Can Fit My Rim 

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Car owners change their car tires for numerous reasons. One is to upgrade the look, feel, and the overall performance of their cars. For off-road enthusiasts, changing the tires will allow them to engage in their favorite pastime.

Another reason is more on the economic side – they want to save on costs because the right tire on the car will help on fuel consumption.

Whatever the reason is, you have to know what size of tires can fit your rims.

How do we use the tire size calculator?

We use the tire size calculator to know the effects of changing your tire’s offset and width. What you need to do is first is to enter your present tire’s width and offset. Once done, enter your new car wheel’s offset and width and click calculate.

The calculator will show the clearance between the strut housing and the wheel’s inside. Aside from that, it will also show how far the external wheel edge will retract. If you lessen or lower the inner clearance too far, the wheels might not fit.

What are the meanings of the tire sidewall markings?

Image source: wikipedia.org

BW means BLACK WALL

BCS means BLACK CIRCUMFERENTIAL SERRATION

BSL means BLACK SERRATED LETTERS

ENWL means EXTRA NARROW WHITE LETTERS

ROBL means RAISED OUTLINED BLACK LETTERS

Plus-Sizing

Plus-sizing means changing your factory-standard tires with bigger wheels and rims. This is done to improve the car’s aesthetics and also to upgrade its performance. Bigger tires will provide that wow factor. There is no better and easier way to change the car’s look than mounting bigger wheels on it.

In an article released by Car and Driver, your car’s grip, brakes, steering feel, and ride comfort will be affected if you put on larger wheels. For instance, 18-inch wheels will adversely impact your speed and the car’s fuel economy due to the weight of the bigger tires. If you go higher at 19 inches and up, the benefits and advantages go away while speed and fuel economy get poorer.

Downscaling

This is the opposite of getting bigger wheels, also known as downsizing, which, as the word suggests, means installing smaller tires. The reason why car owners and car enthusiasts do this is if they have another set of tires specifically used for a particular season.

An example of this is the snow tires which are installed to cars every winter. Though it’s more expensive, it is actually smaller in size, just around 17 inches. According to car aficionados and experts, if you want to have a more efficient snow tire, choose the narrower one. For instance, you own an 18-inch or 19-inch wheel and you want to replace these with efficient winter tires, choose 16-inch or 17-inch wheels.

Wheel Diameter

Your car’s odometer, torque, traction control, gearing settings, and speedometers are dependent on the car’s mileage over one complete and full revolution. This is further determined by the external wheel and tire diameter.

Wheels with a different external diameter will travel a different distance over one revolution with a differing torque quantity. If you change the diameter of your car rims, you have to make sure that the replacement wheel and tire assembly maintain similar overall diameter as your old assembly to make sure that your traction control and your speedometer are not off. However, tire manufacturers can quickly adjust the settings of your odometer so it should accurately reflect the changes.

Determining the Size Appropriate for Your Tires

A common question we hear is that, “What size rims and tires will fit on my car?”

Tires are being segregated by size using a 3-number code. An example would be 225/55/16. This means that the width of the tires is 255 millimeters, the width to height ratio is 55, and an inner diameter of 16.

The standing height or the external diameter of the wheel is measured by how much sidewall the wheel has. To make the aspect height and the external diameter the same as you increase the rim size, you have to lose an inch in the external diameter. A little bit of math is required to get the proper size.

To get the external diameter, you must multiply by 2 the wheel’s aspect ratio (include the bottom and top sidewalls) and add the inner diameter of the car. After which, you should convert millimeters to inches. The standing height, in this case, will be 25.7 inches. After getting the external diameter of the old wheel, match it with the new and replacement wheel.

Pros and cons of bigger and larger tires

Benefits

  • Better hold
  • Shorter decelerating distances
  • Quicker car response times and better cornering stability

Drawbacks

  • Higher tire worth
  • Higher oil consumption
  • Amplified vibrations
  • Extra tire clatter
  • Inferior water draining and reduced aquaplaning resistance

Pros and cons of thin tires

Benefits

  • Advanced resistance to aquaplaning
  • Augmented driving ease and fewer tire noise
  • Lesser tire worth/cost
  • Improved driving in midwinter conditions (particularly if you’re using a winter tire)

Drawbacks

  • Reduced hold
  • Inferior behavior on angles
  • Lengthier braking distance

If this is too much for you, don’t fret. There are numerous tire-size calculator websites and applications that will help you find the right fit for your car.

When do we replace tires?

Tire experts are often bombarded with questions like, “when is the best time to replace my car tires?” or “what tires fit my rim?”

Car and truck wheels are often replaced when their lifespan expires and also when the treads wear out from regular use.  There are a few factors which can affect the lifespan of a tire.

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  • Temperature
  • Storing
  • Where it is driven
  • Pinholes
  • Whether or not the driver is aggressive or careless

More often, car tire experts recommend the replacement of the tires when the driver or owner no longer feels safe while driving. This, however, is very subjective and more experienced drivers may get to notice this compared to new and first-time drivers.

If you are in this situation and are quite unsure whether you should change your wheels or not, check if your tires are still providing a level of traction that feels safe. How to do this? Simply check if it’s spinning or slipping. If yes, then that would automatically mean you have to replace them.

Another instance to replace tires is when they are already damaged. Look for cracks or bubbles. If you find any of these, then go to the nearest tire distributor.

Also, check the treads by checking the tread depth indicator. If they show damaged tread, then clearly, you have to replace your wheels. As a general rule, tires get worn when the tread reaches 2/32 inches. This means the car’s ability to create traction on roads under normal conditions is very low.

This is especially dangerous if you have to drive under adverse road conditions. Snow or wet roads may pose a great danger if you don’t replace your tires soon. Under normal conditions, the normal mileage before we have to replace tires is at 40,000 miles or 64,000 kilometers. High-end and more expensive tires usually last longer than these tires — like 80,000 miles or 128,000 kilometers before they get damaged.

Tires and their age

Like all other things, tires will age quickly if they are abused and misused. If you drive on overinflated or underinflated tires, expect great damage to the interiors. The worse thing about this is it may not be detected by plain sight inspection and checking.

Aside from usage, impacts and punctures may cause irreparable damage to the tires.

These variables will deteriorate the tire’s reliability on the road and lead to the tire’s hasty aging. To diminish these risks, make sure your tires are suitably inflated, frequently maintained, and treated with tender love and care.

Car Tires that are Less than 6 Years Old:

Expect that these tires will deliver very good performance but the car tire’s treadwear may change traction capacities in bad weather conditions. To take care of the tire, it is a must to have a monthly routine inspection and check. It’s very important to check on the car’s air pressure, as well.

Switch and change tires each 6,000 – 8,000 miles and go for wheel balancing for every 12,000 – 16,000 miles. Avoid extreme temperature.

Car tire that are 6-10 Years Old:

If you don’t take care of your tires, most probably, they will end up useless before their sixth year of use.

Car tires which are between 6 and 10 years old may have been worn out, have a lesser tread, have reduced traction stability and decreased resistance to puncture, regardless of the weather condition.

Aside from these, the car tires may also have heightened risk of cracking and structural damages due to extreme environmental conditions and exposures.

Monthly air pressure check and increased frequency of inspection are recommended here. Also, it is best to change tires.

Car tires that are Over 10 Years Old:

Any tire that is more than 10 years old is too thin to guarantee safe driving. At this stage, it is a must to replace it.

If you want to extend the lifespan of your tires, you can do the following:

  • Check if your tire’s pressure surges every 2,000 to 3,000 miles. This will not directly improve your car’s life but will most probably help in fuel efficiency, vehicle handling, and acceleration.
  • Replace your tires every 5,000 – 7,500 miles to encourage uniform treadwear
  • Get your tire configuration checked, as stated in your car’s owner’s guide, or if you start to sense the car “yank” to a side while driving
  • Check your tires frequently for any highway wreckages or impairments
  • Examine your tires for any abnormalities in its treadwear because these can show glitches with your cars orientation or inflation.
  • Be certain not to beat a tire’s extreme weight volume because this puts extreme compression on your tires

What other factors do you need to consider?

Tire diameter calculators are great tools for checking and finding out the size of a new tire, however, you have to bear in mind that there are also physical limitations that may affect your decision.

It’s not as easy as asking yourself “What size rims and tires fit my car?” then going to the calculator to find the answer.

Some tire calculators do not take into account the model and other specifications of your car. This means that there are other unique variables that can’t be taken into consideration. In this case, you have to take note of your car’s parameters and physical needs.

You also have to be mindful when changing the tire’s diameter. There are a few rules that you have to mind.

For instance, you can’t replace 225/40 R18 tire with a 185/80 R13 tire. The latter tire requires a smaller set of wheels that won’t match with the braking discs of larger wheel models.

Furthermore, you also can’t change a 185/80 R13 tire with a 225/40 R18 model. The wheel arch spaces just won’t fit. Vehicles are not designed to cope up with such great change in size. The rule only permits to go as high as 1.5% or as low as -2%.

Given these, the safest thing you can do is to choose the equal options with similar rim diameters. If you wish to use a different rim size, you can ask for help from the experts.

When all else fail, consult an expert

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Sometimes, people choose not to seek professional advice or help because of the following reasons.

  • They want to save on the cost.
  • They feel like they can just do it by themselves.
  • They don’t know the specifics so they feel like it’s okay to tinker by themselves.

Wanting to save is okay but in cases where an expert opinion or an expert’s skill is required, you will save up on time and resources if you simply go and seek for help. The tendency of foregoing professional help is that you end up damaging the vehicle than improving it.

Over time, you end up paying more for repair. Worst, you will have to buy another because of the extent of the damage.

Having a trustworthy car expert is very handy in times when you are not sure what should be your next course of action. You can try scouting for one in your neighborhood, or town, or city and see which tire service provider can best help you out with your concerns.

Better yet, check online and visit websites to read services offered and feedback from customers. You can decide better this way.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t know the first thing to replace your old set of wheels. Even if you have no budget, it’s as easy as going to the used tires shop, such as United Tires for instance, and asking any of their staff, “What other size tires will fit my rims?” or “What size tires can fit on my truck?”