205/50R16 refers to the size of the tire. It’s a standard which is used by car and tire manufacturers. By having the standard, tire manufacturers are able to manufacture same size tires independently and users can buy same size tires from different manufacturers.
Here’s an explanation of what these metrics mean in practice:
205 | The tire width is 205mm. |
50 | The aspect ratio of the tire is 50. Aspect ratio refers to the height of tire sidewall in relation to tire width in percentages. |
R | The letter in the middle refers to tire construction. Practically all tires sold for cars are radials. Sometimes you also see tires with RF or ZR. RF indicates the tire is run flat, whereas ZR means the tire has speed rating higher than V. These tires are also radials, as the R indicates. |
16 | Rim diameter for the tire. 205/50R16 tire can be mounted only to a 16″ rims. |
Best selling 205/50R16 tires
What is 205/50R16 tire size in inches?
Because the width of 205/50R16 tire is stated in millimeters and sidewall height in percentages, you have to make calculations to see what the true size of 205/50R16 is in inches. Luckily, we have made these calculations for you.In this table you can see size of 205/50R16 in inches, as well as few additional metrics:
In inches | In millimeters | |
Section Width | 8.1″ | 205mm |
Sidewall height | 4.0″ | 103mm |
Diameter / Height | 24.1″ | 611mm |
Circumference | 75.6″ | 1921mm |
Rim Diameter | 16″ | |
Revolutions | 838 per mile | 521 per kilometer |
Recommended Rim Sizes for 205/50R16 Tires
For 205/50R16 tires you need to have correct size rims to install the tires to. There are different width rims available in the market, and you can run into problems by installing 205/50R16 to a too wide or too narrow rim. Here are the recommended rim sizes for 205/50R16 tire:
Diameter | Width Range |
16″ | 5.5-7.5″ |
205/50R16 – Variations
When you look at the tire code on 205/50R16 tires, you may see there are additional numbers and letters after the code 205/50R16. These numbers and letters refer to speed rating and load index of the tire. 205/50R16 has at least following variations available on the markets:
205/50R16 86H 205/50R16 87H 205/50R16 87S 205/50R16 87T 205/50R16 87V 205/50R16 87W 205/50R16 87Y 205/50R16 91H 205/50R16 91V 205/50R16 91W