33x13.00R15 tire size

33x13.00R15 in numbers

33x13.00R15 prints its own height: 33 inches (838 mm) overall and 13 inches (330 mm) wide. On a 15 inch rim that leaves 9 inches (229 mm) of sidewall per side, which is an aspect ratio of about 69 even though none is printed. One turn covers 2633 mm (103.7 in), so it turns about 380 times per kilometre and 611 times per mile, or 633 times a minute at 100 km/h. Of the 95 flotation sizes listed here, 71 are taller and 11 are shorter. 12 other flotation sizes come within 3 percent of its diameter; the closest is 33x9.50R15, the same to within 0.01 percent.

What each part of 33x13.00R15 means

33

Overall diameter in inches, printed on the tire. This is the whole tire, not the tread width. Misreading it as a width is the commonest mistake with this format.

13

Section width in inches (330.2 mm).

R

Radial construction. The R here is construction, not the speed symbol R. The speed symbol sits after the size, in the service description.

15

Rim diameter in inches. The bead seat diameter of the wheel this tire mounts on.

no prefix

Euro-metric (no prefix). An unprefixed size is Euro-metric, not P-metric with the P left off. The prefix decides which standards body's load table rates the tire. What the prefixes mean

Dimensions 33x13.00R15 implies

These are the nominal dimensions the size code implies. A real tire's measured dimensions depend on its mould, its construction and the rim width it is mounted on, so a manufacturer's specification sheet for a specific tire is the authority for that tire.

Sizes within 3 percent of 33x13.00R15, any rim

The 10 sizes in this catalog closest to 33x13.00R15 in overall diameter, of the same type, ranked by how little they change it. The speedometer columns assume the instrument read correctly on 33x13.00R15 and that nothing was recalibrated.

A positive difference means the replacement is taller, so the vehicle travels further per revolution and the speedometer reads LOW. Many vehicles leave the factory reading slightly high on purpose, so treat this as a change from whatever the instrument did before, not as an absolute claim about it.

Questions this size raises

What does 33x13.00R15 mean?

It is a flotation size, quoted in inches. 33 is the tire's overall diameter, 13 is its section width, R means radial construction and 15 is the rim diameter it mounts on. The first number is the whole tire, not the tread width, which is the most common misreading of this format.

How tall is a 33x13.00R15 tire?

33 inches (838.2 mm) in nominal overall diameter. That is the diameter the size code implies; a specific tire's measured diameter depends on its mould and the rim width it is mounted on, and the manufacturer's specification sheet is the authority for that tire.

What is the sidewall height of a 33x13.00R15?

9 inches (228.6 mm) per side.

How many revolutions per mile does a 33x13.00R15 turn?

611 revolutions per mile, from the nominal circumference of 103.7 inches. A loaded tire deflects and turns slightly more often than that, so a manufacturer's published revolutions figure usually runs a few percent higher.

The rest of the sidewall

The size is one line of a sidewall. What follows it decides whether the tire is legal on the vehicle at all.

• Load index table - the number after the size, and the mass it stands for. Must meet or exceed the vehicle placard.
• Speed symbol table - the letter after the load index, including the ZR, W, Y and (Y) cases.
• DOT date code - how old the tire is, and why a three digit code is not the same as a four digit one.
• Every other marking - UTQG grades, load range letters, M+S against the three peak mountain snowflake.
• Compare 33x13.00R15 against another size - diameter, clearance and speedometer error side by side.