Tires Sizes 215 Versus 235
by Michele Jensen
Manufacturers incorporate tire characteristics, which include size, on the tire's sidewall to adhere to federal safety regulations. The information provides important safety and usage information.
Example
A passenger tire might be branded "P215/75R15," where the "P" indicates the tire is for passenger vehicles, "215" is the tire width, "75" is the aspect ratio, "R" indicates it is a radial tire and "15" denotes the rim size.
Tire size
The tire size is the width in millimeters from the edge of one sidewall to the edge of the other sidewall. Therefore, a 235 tire is 20 millimeters wider than a 215 tire.
Importance of tire size
Tire size is important because car manufacturers use it in combination with a vehicle's maximum load limit to determine the tire inflation pressure needed to optimize vehicle performance and safety.
Changing tire size
Changing a vehicle's tire size may impact the intended manufacturer performance by altering the gear ratio, which also affects the accuracy of the speedometer.
References
Writer Bio
Michele Jensen started writing professionally for businesses in 1999. Her writings include articles for eHow, Answerbag and COD, marketing materials and project-related documentation. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Houston and a Master of Science degree in international relations from Troy State University.
