Tire size and speedometer calculator

Tire diameter, sidewall height and revolutions per km from a size such as 225/45R17, and the speedometer error when you change tire sizes.

Aggiornato Esempi verificati: 4

Prova
Diameter difference
%
Diameter difference: 1.72 %
Cifre decimali: 2; Al più vicino; a parità verso la cifra pari
True speed at that reading
101.7km/h
Current tire diameter
634.3mm / 24.97in
New tire diameter
645.2mm / 25.4in
Current sidewall height
101.3mm
New sidewall height
94mm
Current tire revolutions
501.8per km
New tire revolutions
493.4per km
With the larger tire the speedometer shows less than your true speed. UNECE Regulation 39 requires speedometers never to under-read, so check whether yours has enough built-in margin or needs recalibrating.

The new 235/40R18 is 1.72% larger than the current 225/45R17 (645.2 vs 634.3 mm). When the speedometer shows 100 km/h, you are actually doing 101.7 km/h.

Tires to scale

634.3 mmCurrent: 225/45R17645.2 mmNew: 235/40R18
Come si calcola S
  1. Current tire 225/45R17

    17×25.4+2×225×45100=634.3 mm17 \times 25.4 + 2 \times 225 \times \frac{45}{100} = 634.3\ \text{mm}
  2. New tire 235/40R18

    18×25.4+2×235×40100=645.2 mm18 \times 25.4 + 2 \times 235 \times \frac{40}{100} = 645.2\ \text{mm}
  3. Diameter difference

    (645.2634.3−1)×100=1.718%\left(\frac{645.2}{634.3} - 1\right) \times 100 = 1.718\%
  4. True speed

    100×645.2634.3=101.72 km/h100 \times \frac{645.2}{634.3} = 101.72\ \text{km/h}

    The speedometer counts wheel turns, so a taller tire covers more ground per turn than it was calibrated for.

Informazioni su Tire size and speedometer calculator

A metric tire size such as 225/45R17 gives the tread width in mm (225), the sidewall height as a percentage of that width (45%), the construction (R for radial) and the rim diameter in inches (17). The overall diameter is rim × 25.4 + 2 × width × aspect ÷ 100, which for 225/45R17 is 431.8 + 202.5 = 634.3 mm. Circumference is π × diameter, and revolutions per km are 1,000,000 mm divided by the circumference.

People compare sizes before fitting larger wheels, winter tires or a different brand. Moving from 225/45R17 to 235/40R18 makes the tire 1.72% taller, so when the speedometer shows 100 the car is doing about 101.7: the speedometer counts wheel turns, and each turn of the taller tire covers more ground.

The figures are nominal sizes; tread wear, low pressure and load make the rolling diameter slightly smaller. The load index and speed rating after the size, such as 94H, are accepted and ignored.

Esempi svolti

225/45R17 to 235/40R18

Current tire
225/45R17
New tire
235/40R18
Speedometer reading
100
Speed unit
km/h
Current tire diameter
634.3 mm
New tire diameter
645.2 mm
Diameter difference
1.72%
True speed at that reading
101.7 km/h
Current sidewall height
101.3 mm
Current tire revolutions
501.8 per km

Fonte di verifica: Python decimal: 17×25.4 + 2×225×0.45 = 634.3 mm; 18×25.4 + 2×235×0.40 = 645.2 mm; 10⁶/(π×634.3)

Same size

Current tire
205/55R16
New tire
205/55R16
Speedometer reading
100
Speed unit
km/h
Diameter difference
0.00%
True speed at that reading
100 km/h

Fonte di verifica: Identical diameters give no error

Prefix, load index and speed rating

Current tire
P215/60R16 94H
New tire
195/65R15
Speedometer reading
100
Speed unit
km/h
Current tire diameter
664.4 mm
New tire diameter
634.5 mm
New tire revolutions
501.7 per km

Fonte di verifica: Python decimal: 16×25.4 + 2×129 = 664.4; 15×25.4 + 2×126.75 = 634.5; 10⁶/(π×634.5)

Smaller tire makes the speedometer over-read

Current tire
205/55R16
New tire
195/55R16
Speedometer reading
60
Speed unit
km/h
Current tire diameter
631.9 mm
New tire diameter
620.9 mm
Diameter difference
-1.74%
True speed at that reading
59 km/h

Fonte di verifica: Python decimal: (620.9 − 631.9)/631.9; 60 × 620.9/631.9

Domande

What do the numbers on a tire mean?

In 225/45R17 94H, 225 is the tread width in mm, 45 is the aspect ratio (the sidewall is 45% of the width, 101.25 mm), R means radial construction and 17 is the rim diameter in inches. 94 is the load index, a maximum of 670 kg per tire, and H is the speed rating, 210 km/h. The calculator uses the size and ignores the load index and speed rating.

How do you calculate tire diameter?

Add two sidewalls to the rim: diameter = rim × 25.4 + 2 × width × aspect ÷ 100, in mm. For 205/55R16 that is 406.4 + 2 × 112.75 = 631.9 mm, or 24.88 in. The circumference is π times the diameter, 1,985 mm here, and 1,000,000 divided by the circumference gives 503.7 revolutions per km.

Does a bigger tire make the speedometer read slower?

Yes. The speedometer counts wheel turns, so a tire with a larger diameter covers more ground per turn than the speedometer assumes. True speed = shown speed × new diameter ÷ old diameter: going from 225/45R17 (634.3 mm) to 235/40R18 (645.2 mm), a reading of 100 means 101.7. A smaller tire does the opposite: from 205/55R16 to 195/55R16, a reading of 60 means 59.0.

Is a speedometer allowed to read higher than the true speed?

Yes. UN Regulation 39, the vehicle approval rule for speedometers under the UNECE 1958 Agreement, requires that the indicated speed is never less than the true speed but allows it to be higher. Speedometers are therefore set to read at or above true speed, and fitting a taller tire, which lowers the reading, can use up that margin.

How many revolutions per mile does a tire make?

Divide 1,609,344 mm, one mile, by the circumference. A 225/45R17 tire has a diameter of 634.3 mm and a circumference of 1,992.7 mm, so it turns about 807.6 times per mile and 501.8 times per km. A taller tire turns fewer times, which is why the odometer also under-records distance after upsizing.

Quanto è preciso «Tire size and speedometer calculator»?

La precisione dipende dai dati inseriti e dalle ipotesi del metodo. Il calcolo decimale usa 50 cifre significative, ma stime, metodi numerici e dati di origine possono essere meno precisi; l’arrotondamento visualizzato non elimina questi limiti. Esempi svolti verificati con fonti indipendenti: 4. Per esempio, «225/45R17 to 235/40R18» viene verificato con Python decimal: 17×25.4 + 2×225×0.45 = 634.3 mm; 18×25.4 + 2×235×0.40 = 645.2 mm; 10⁶/(π×634.3).

Da dove proviene il metodo?

ETRTO — Standards Manual (metric tire designation: width / aspect ratio R rim); UNECE Regulation No. 39 — Speedometer and odometer (indicated speed never below true speed).

Informazioni su questa calcolatrice

D=rim×25.4+2×width×aspect100 mmvtrue=vshown×DnewDcurrent\begin{gathered}D = \text{rim} \times 25.4 + 2 \times \text{width} \times \frac{\text{aspect}}{100}\ \text{mm} \\ v_{\text{true}} = v_{\text{shown}} \times \frac{D_{\text{new}}}{D_{\text{current}}}\end{gathered}

Fonti

  1. ETRTO — Standards Manual (metric tire designation: width / aspect ratio R rim)
  2. UNECE Regulation No. 39 — Speedometer and odometer (indicated speed never below true speed)

Verificato con le fonti

Questa calcolatrice include 4 esempi svolti con risposte da fonti indipendenti. Fanno parte della suite di test e puoi eseguirli anche qui.

Calcolatrici correlate