TYRE TALK

WhichCar motoring expert ELISE ELLIOTT shares the info you need to know

- ELISE ELLIOTT

When it comes to buying cars, it’s tempting to focus on the exciting things like the engine, technology and styling of the vehicle. However, most people couldn’t care less about the four pieces of rubber that connect the vehicle to the road. But a car’s handling, braking, comfort, noise, fuel consumption and safety are all greatly affected by tyres and the air pressure within.

DECODING IT

All tyres will have a series of numbers and letters on sidewalls. They typically look something like this “205/60 R16” (in the new Kia Seltos S, for example). Here’s what this code means:

205: The width of the tyre in millimetres from sidewall to sidewall. In this case, the tyre is 205mm (or 20.5cm) wide.

60: It’s the sidewall height (the vertical measurement of the tyre from the top of the wheel to the edge of the tread), expressed as an aspect ratio – that is, as a percentage of the tread width. In this case, the sidewall height is 60 per cent of 205mm (in this case 123mm).

R: This letter refers to construction. “R” is for “radial construction” where the steel and nylon cords that give the tyre its strength are laid out at 90 degrees to the centreline of the tread. Most current tyres are made this way.