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Tire sizes

265/70R18 — the metric size closest to a 33 from below

Four tenths of an inch short of 33, on a wheel where imperial notation offers nothing smaller.

Metric notation · Crossover and SUV

Overall diameter
32.61 in
828 mm
Section width
10.43 in
265 mm
Sidewall height
7.30 in
186 mm
Aspect ratio
70%
sidewall as a share of width
Wheel diameter
18 in
the hole in the middle
Circumference
102.4 in
2602 mm
Revolutions per mile
618.5
geometric, not measured
Revolutions per km
384.3
geometric, not measured
Typical load index
98–116
1653–2756 lb per tire

Crossovers are heavier than the cars they share size families with, so the same nominal size is produced at a higher index for SUV fitment than for passenger fitment. Two tires wearing the same size code can carry materially different loads.

The load-index range shown is the band this CLASS of size is typically produced in — not a list of what is in stock for this exact size today. Load index and speed symbol are printed on the sidewall of the specific tire you are holding, and the required minimum is on the placard of the specific vehicle you are fitting. Read both.

Nearest real sizes in imperial notation, same wheel

  • 33x12.50R1833.00 in tall+0.39 in
  • 35x12.50R1835.00 in tall+2.39 in
  • 37x12.50R1837.00 in tall+4.39 in

Compare any two sizes, including ones this site has no page for, in the comparison tool.

Platforms recorded with this size

Two vehicles here ship this size: the third-generation Toyota Tundra, which lists it plain, and the fourth-generation Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD, which lists it as LT265/70R18. The Land Rover Defender L663 names it as a common upgrade.

Distance to 33.00 inches, by size

Size Diameter Short of a flotation 33
255/70R18 32.06 in 0.94 in
275/65R18 32.07 in 0.93 in
285/65R18 32.59 in 0.41 in
265/70R18 32.61 in 0.39 in
275/70R18 33.16 in 0.16 in over

Of the metric sizes that fall below 33x12.50R18, this is the closest — 1.21% short. Fitting the flotation 33 in its place takes an indicated 70 mph to an actual 70.8 mph and adds 2.07 in of section width, which is very much the larger of the two changes.

Two hundredths from 285/65R18

285/65R18 measures 32.59 in. The two are 0.02 in apart in height and 0.79 in apart in section width, so the choice between them is a width choice that the size code presents as a height choice.

The same holds one row further down the table. 255/70R18 and 275/65R18 are within 0.02 in of each other at 32.06 in and 32.07 in, on casings 0.79 in apart. Three of the five metric sizes in this band pair off that way, which is what happens when two variables — width and aspect ratio — are adjusted in opposite directions to reach the same height.

The Defender's step

The Defender L663's four factory sizes are 255/70R18, 255/65R19, 255/60R20 and 275/45R22, at 32.06 in, 32.05 in, 32.05 in and 31.74 in. Moving to 265/70R18 is +0.55 in from the tallest of them, or +0.86 in from the 22-inch option.

Above this size on the same wheel, 275/70R18 is 0.55 in taller, 285/70R18 is 1.10 in taller, and 35x12.50R18 is 2.39 in taller at 7.34%. Where an LT prefix appears on one record and not another, what it denotes is set out in the load range and ply rating reference.

Related

Class: Crossover and SUV. Every figure above is computed from the size code, not stored — see how these numbers are calculated.