what does tire sizes mean?

[portland5]

I have a 1995 chevy camaro the tire size is 245/50/16 .
most tires for this car are 235 or 215, I think the wheels are not original.
I suppose it is not possible to have three tires at 245 and one tire a 215.
Would a 215 and a 245 fit on the same wheel size?

[GreyGoose006]

say you have 245/50/16 just for fun

the first number (245) is the width of the tread in millimeters
the second number (50) is the percent of the width and refers to the sidewall height
the third number (16) is the rim diameter in inches

so, if you have a 245/50/16 tire, that means that the tread is 245 mm wide, or 9.6 inches wide.

the sidewall is 50% of the tread width, so your sidewall is 4.8 inches high

the diameter of the wheel is 16 inches.




take 16, and add 4.8 and 4.8 (two sidewalls, one on top, one on bottom) and you have the total diameter of the tire.
in this case, its 25.6 inches.

if it were me, i would have matching tires in front and in back.
you can have different fronts than backs, but never put three of the same tire and one odd ball on.
if you had to panic stop, the thinner tire would lock first and you would likely loose control.

[lightbalt]

Can't say it any better than greygoose did. The important thing is that front tires match and the rear tires match.

As for your last question "Will a 215 and 245 fit the same wheel size?" I can't say yes or no, the best bet is to measure the wheel width and you'll be able to determine from there.

[GreyGoose006]

well generally speaking, your tires shuould not be thinner than the wheel they are mounted to.
there are exceptions, but that is a general rule.

the standard wheels on a camaro are 8" wide.
a 215 tire is 8.5" wide, so it will fit... in theory at least.