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About Tires

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About Tires

Tires are more than just black and round. Much more. They utilize an innovative mix of chemistry, physics and engineering. And we’re here to help explain. Learn how to read your sidewall, understand tire construction and speed ratings, and find the right tires for your car.

Reading A Tire Sidewall

The numbers and letters on the side of your tire have very specific meanings.

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Tire Construction

What’s inside a tire? Innovative technology.

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Tire Speed Ratings & Tread Life

A through Z. Find out what ratings offer longer mileage, better grip and a smoother ride.

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The Right Tire For Your Car

To find out what tires are right for your car, check your vehicle’s OEM door sticker or your vehicle’s owner’s manual. Or for a quick and easy way, you can also use Michelin’s Tire Selector.

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How to Change a Tire

Conquer one of life’s most unpleasant situations with these important tips.

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Run Flat Tires

Learn how run flat technology lets you drive even during a tire puncture.

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Please Note

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  • You need to know your vehicle's options to find out the original size of the tires for your vehicle because automobile manufacturers often use different wheel and tire sizes for different variations of a specific vehicle. If you do not know your vehicle's options, check one of these places: 1. The original sales invoice or window sticker when you bought the vehicle. 2. Your vehicle's Owner's Manual, which will sometimes identify your vehicle's options. 3. Look on the vehicle itself. Some vehicles have a decal or lettering that indicates the options located on the side or rear of the vehicle.

  • Your vehicle was manufactured with multiple tire sizes. Please select your size.

    Knowing your tire size can help save time at the tire retailer. It also enables you to make an informed tire purchase. You can find your vehicle's original equipment tire size in one of the following places: 1. On the tire placard located on the driver's door jamb 2. In your owners manual 3. On glove compartment door 4. Inside the fuel hatch or trunk lid You can also check your existing tire's designation on the sidewall. However, there is no guarantee that these are the original tire size unless they came on the vehicle new. Note: Tire Size Image. Show sidewall and tire placard. Example below from UK.
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  • Find the exact tire quickly using your tire size. Check your owner's manual or tire sidewall to find the required specifications.

  • You can determine your tire type by looking at the tire's designation on the sidewall of your tire. The following describes the differences between the tire type designations: P-Metric: A uniform designation of tire sizes in metric measurements. A typical P-Metric tire is P205/70R14 93S. European Metric: This system was a conversion of the numeric system from inches to millimeters. The aspect ratio appears in the size designation in most cases where it is other than 82. A typical European Metric tire is 185/70R14 88S Light Truck-Metric: This system is used for light truck tires, and it mirrors the P-Metric system used for passenger tires. A typical LT-Metric tire is LT245/75R16 120R. Light Truck High Flotation: This type is for light truck tires with lower sidewalls and wider treads that yield better traction on surfaces such as sand and soft soil found in watery, off-road situations. A typical tire is 31X10.50R15 LT LRC
  • This three-digit number represents the width of your tires in millimeters (mm).<div><img src="/assets/mi/system/images/contextual-help/R2-width.png" /></div>
  • The aspect ratio is the relationship of a tire's sidewall height to its section width.In this example, the tire height is approximately 60% of the tire width.<div><img src="/assets/mi/system/images/contextual-help/R2-aspect.png" /></div>
  • The diameter of the rim in inches.<div><img src="/assets/mi/system/images/contextual-help/R2-diameter.png" /></div>
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  • If you know the name of the tire are looking for, select the tire from the list below.

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  • All tires fall into certain categories. If you're wanting to do a broad search of our tire lines, use the list below.

  • All tires fall into certain categories. If you're wanting to do a broad search of our tire lines, use the list below.
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