How to Convert a Tire Size to a Winter Tire
Winter tires provide added grip and tread for the season's ice and snow. If you live or drive in such an environment, it is recommended you switch out your tires to snow tires each season. When buying a new set of winter tires you will need the auto's recommended tire size or the current tire's OE numbers. The OE number may be converted from the metric scale into imperial, should your winter tire sizing require it.
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Instructions
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Write down the OE number of your current tires. Look to the sidewall of the tire to locate this number, for example, 245/45/R16. In this example, the 245 is the widest part of the tire's diameter. If you wish to convert this to inches, divide it by 25.4 as this is the standard conversion between metric and imperial system of measurement -- the American standard such as inches and feet. These numbers may need to be converted to convert over to a winter tire sized in imperial measurements.
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Divide the width dimension by the next number in the tire's OE code sequence. In this example, 45 is the height of the tire, so it translates as 45th of the 245mm. The inch conversion size would be the result of 245 divided by 45 or 5.44 inches.
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Take the last number in the OE code and read it as the diameter of the tire in inches.
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Take these measurements, the converted imperial and the OE metric to the tire dealer to get the proper and adjusted winter tire for your vehicle. An example of this would be to give the dealer the imperial measurements such as 9.7/5.4 for the imperial or winter-tire sizing.
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References
- Photo Credit snow plough image by charles taylor from Fotolia.com
