245/40/17 what do these numbers mean?

[eneyeengee]

Hey guys,

I ran some searchs trying to figure out what the first two number mean but havent' had much success. I'm guessing they have somehting to do with width or whatever of the tires. Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,

-David

[ziggysux]

Hey guys,

I ran some searchs trying to figure out what the first two number mean but havent' had much success. I'm guessing they have somehting to do with width or whatever of the tires. Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,

-David


245 would be the width, in millimeters, of the tire. 40 is the profile, and represents the width of the sidewall in terms of a percentage of the tire's width - so the sidewall of a 245/17 tire would be 40% of 245 mm, or 98 mm. And the 17 represents the size of the wheel that the tire fits, in inches.

[Max M3]

Exactly correct...

And if you ever want more technical tire info than you can imagine, Tirerack is an excellent source... Here's their answer to your question, but I suggest you look at more of their tech articles.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/general/size.jsp

[eneyeengee]

Thanks guys. That picture helped :stickoutt

-david