50/60 series tire question...

[IMPORTSMOKER]

Would a 60 series tire appear larger than a 50 series tire from the side view???Example.....would a 195 60 15 tire (front) that is only 24.2" tall appear taller than a 275 50 15 (rear) tire that is 25.8" tall??? Im a bit confused on the whole "aspect ratio" thing.....I dont want my front tires "looking" bigger than the rears, even though they aren't?? thanx

 

[90mustangGT]

The aspect ratio is measured in percent. 60% of 195 is less than 50% of 275.

 

[IMPORTSMOKER]

Well i know that the (195 or 275) is the width(right?) so what does that have to do with how tall the tire will be...or the sidewall of the tire??

 

[89MustangGX]

Well i know that the (195 or 275) is the width(right?) so what does that have to do with how tall the tire will be...or the sidewall of the tire??

That's exactly the way the tire is measured. In your 195/60-15 tire, the tire is 195mm wide, and has sidewall height of 60% of the 195mm is 117mm or about 4.6" -- so you take your 15" rim and add 4.6" for each sidewall and you end up with 24.2" approximately.

Now you can have another tire that is a different width but is the same height, for example, a 215/55-15. Sidewall is 55% of 215mm -- 118.25mm or about 4.65" -- which translates to a tire that is 24.3" tall, but 20mm wider than the original.

In short, the answer is two tires of the same height will look the same from the side, even though their width may be different.