What Tyres Fit My Car? Find The Right Tyres

When it comes to putting new tyres on your vehicle, it isn’t a case of one size fits all. If you need to find out what tyres you need, or want answers to some of the more common questions when it comes to tyre size, we’ve put together all the information needed to help you out.

Can I change my tyre size?

As we explored in this article on changing tyre size, your car’s tyres are sized and shipped in relation to the size of the actual rims that they’re mounted on. This itself is designed to account for an overall size of the wheel - which affects things such as steering and suspension.

If you change the size of your rims, then you could - in theory - change the size of your tyres – so long as the overall diameter of the wheel stays the same. However, your speedometer would need to be recalibrated with most changes to tyre size. And your tyre pressure may need to be adjusted accordingly.

Don’t mismatch your tyres

It’s also worth noting that you should never mismatch tyres on an axle pair. This is because the tread pattern serves to divert water and debris away from the tyre, so that the tyre can grip the road surface. As such, having tread patterns that divert in different directions or in different ways puts an uneven stress on the whole axle system; this, in turn, leads to uneven and premature wear along all parts of the system.

What’s more, mismatching tyres on axle pairs can reduce handling in wet conditions or on loose ground.

How to find the tyre size for my car?

So you’re now wondering how to find the right tyre size for your particular car. With the variety of tyre sizes available, it’s really important that you’re putting the right size tyres for your individual car or van. One way to find which tyres would be correct for you would be to look at the sticker that’s usually found on the inside of the driver side door jamb – this is the same sticker that you can find tyre pressure on.

One method that many people use is to simply look at the current tyres on their car - the tyre markings tell you what size the tyre is. However, if you’ve recently bought the car second hand, then there’s no guarantee that the previous owner has fitted the correct tyres.

Another way to find your tyre size is to consult your service or owner’s manual. So make sure you don’t lose it!

Perhaps the easiest way to find the right tyre size for your car is to use our Tyre Size by Registration Plate tool. All you need to do is put in your number plate and the most likely fitment will show. We recommend you check this against your user manual to be extra sure, but we find that the tool is most often correct.

Found your size?

Once you’ve found the right tyre size, the next step is to decide on what kind of tyre is best for your purposes. You may require winter tyres, all season tyres, or specific 4x4 tyres, for example. You can read our handy guide on types of tyres to quickly learn what’s best for different circumstances, or alternatively get in touch with your local Kwik Fit centre for expert fitting.