How can I find the correct tyre size that fits my light commercial vehicle?



Finding out which tyre sizes fits your work van / light commercial vehicle can be a difficult task. On this page we will explain where you can find the tyre size on you tyre and how you can understand this number.

We will also elaborate on the topics of most common work van tyre sizes.


Where do i find the tyre size on my work van?

The tyre size of a light commercial vehicle is printed on the side of the tyre. This is better known as the sidewall of the tyre. The image on the left shows an example of a letter/number combination that can be find on a tyre for light commercial vehicles.

The combination is 205/55R16 91V. We will use this combination to futher explain how you can interpretend the tyre size.

How to read tyre information on the sidewall of a tyreHow to read tyre information on the sidewall of a tyre

How to read a light commercial vehicle tyre

A tyre of a work van consists of different numbers and letters that indicates different parts of which a tyre consists of. We will use example 205/55R16 91V

How to read tyre width?

The tyre widt consists of the first 3 numbers that is printed on the sidewall information. In this case it is 205. This number shows the width of the tyre in mm

How to read tyre height?

Tyre height is indicated after the slash ( / ) in the tyre size. The height of the tyre is given in percent, a height of 55 means that the tyre is 55% of the width of the tyre.
In this case the height is 55 % of 205 mm.

Radial tyres

The letter R indicates that this is a radial tyre.

How to read rim size?

After the letter R (that indicates radial tyre) there is a number. In this instance it is number 16. This number indicates the size of the rim in inches. This tyre can only be mounted on 16 inch rims

How to read load index?

After the rim size there is a number and one letter left. The last number indicates the Load index of a tyre. The load index stands for the maximum load capacity of a tyre at the ideal pressure. In this case the number 91 refferes to the fact that this tyre van handle 615 Kg or 1356 Pounds.


The common load index numbers of work van tyres have been collected in one overview. You can find this overview a couple of paragraphs down

How to read speed index?

After the load index number, there is still one letter left. In this instance that is letter V. The number V indicates that this tyre has a maximum speed of 240 km/h.

The common speed index numbers of work van tyres have been collected in one overview. You can find this overview a couple of paragraphs down

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Load speed index overview

Work vans and light commercial vehicles have specific load capacity rules. It is therefore very important to choose the right tyre that corresponds to the load capacity indicated by the manufacturer of the truck or trailer.

Periodic inspections check whether the tyres correspond to the load capacity specified by the manufacturer. If this number is not correct, the entire truck or trailer will be rejected.

Load index Weight (kg) Load index Weight (kg) Load index Weight (kg)
71 145 88 560 105 925
72 355 89 580 106 950
73 365 90 600 107 975
74 375 91 615 108 1000
75 387 92 630 109 1030
76 400 93 650 110 1060
77 412 94 670 11 1090
78 425 95 690 112 1120
79 437 96 710 113 1150
80 450 97 730 114 1180
81 462 98 750 115 1215
82 475 99 775 116 1250
83 487 100 800 117 1285
84 500 101 825 118 1320
85 515 102 850 119 1320
86 530 103 875 120 1360
87 545 104 900 121 1400

Speed index overview

In the overview on the right you can see the speed rating that can be found on the side of the tyre with the corrosponding maximum speed rating.

Speed rating tyre Maximum speed Speed rating Maximum speed
L 120 km/h U 200 km/h
M 130 km/h H 210 km/h
N 140 km/h V 240 km/h
Q 160 km/h Z 240+ km/h
R 170 km/h W 270 km/h
S 180 km/h Y 300 km/h
T 190 km/h (Y) 300+ km/h
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