Dumbquestion Concerning Tires

[Mckenzie]

I hear people on here refer to tires as 33's and 35's, what exactly does this mean? Could someone break down what each segement of the numbers 285/75/16 mean? And could i get an example of some some 33's off road tires from this website.

 

 

http://www.tirerack.com/index.jsp

 

Also: What is the biggest tire i can put on my stock 2001 silverado Z71 without any rubbing

 

 

Thanks

[MarkD]

People are referring to the actual height measurement of a tire. Different brands of tire are slightly taller/shorter, but a 285/75/16 is approximately 33" tall. This tire is close to the largest you can run on your truck without a lift or suspension modifications.

 

Most of the online dealers have a faq page that breaks down the codes on a tire sidewall.

[lilnotts]

Could someone break down what each segement of the numbers 285/75/16 mean?

 

285 = tire width measured in mm's

75 = % of your width is your sidewall height

16= rim diameter measured in inches

 

Example of tire height calc:

(((tire width*sidewall height)/mm to inch coversion)*2)+rim size=overall tire height

(((285*0.75)/25.4)*2)+16=32.83

[Gregorio]

Or they are running an LT tire like 33x12.50R16LT 33" diameter, 12.5" width on 16" rim.