Part of the data ring
TireFit
Size sheet · one designationConventional fitment

315/40R19
tyre size, drawn to scale

The dimensions

Size elevation 315/40R19 · SCALE 1:3
OVERALL Ø 735 mm / 28.92″ RIM 19″ = 482.6 mm SECTION 315 MM / 12.40″ SIDEWALL 126 mm 40% OF 315 MM 315/40R19

SOURCE·Metric size geometry + UN ECE R39 speedometer tolerance·drawn to scale from the size designation — 1 px = 2.87 mm·REVIEWED ETRTO STANDARD

735 mm A 315/40R19 stands 735 mm — 28.92″ — from the ground to the top of the tread, on a sidewall of 126.0 mm.

Every one of those figures comes out of the designation itself: 315 mm across, a sidewall 40% of that, beaded onto a 19-inch wheel. It turns 433 times per kilometre, which is the number your speedometer and ABS are really counting.

Overall diameter
735mm · 28.92″
Sidewall height
126.0mm
Section width
315mm · 12.40″
Revolutions / km
433· 697/mi

How the figures are derived

  1. Read the size as the specification it is: section width in millimetres, aspect ratio as a percentage of that width, rim diameter in inches.
  2. Sidewall height = width × aspect ÷ 100. This is the number the size string is really about, and it is the one nobody quotes.
  3. Overall diameter = rim × 25.4 + two sidewalls — one at the top of the wheel and one at the bottom.
  4. Circumference = π × overall diameter, which gives revolutions per kilometre and per mile directly.
  5. Nothing above is measured, estimated, averaged or dated. It is the definition of the designation, so it does not go stale and it has no source to cite beyond the standard itself.
sidewall (mm) = width × aspect ÷ 100
overall diameter (mm) = rim × 25.4 + 2 × sidewall
speedo true speed = indicated × (new diameter ÷ old diameter)

The full method, the ±3% rule, and what geometry cannot tell you →

What the three numbers actually say

The size on your sidewall is a specification, and each field of it means one thing.

315
Section width, 315 millimetres. The tyre's width at its widest point when it is mounted and inflated — sidewall bulge included, not the tread. In inches that is 12.40″.
40
Aspect ratio, 40%. The sidewall is 40% as tall as the tyre is wide, so 315 × 40 ÷ 100 = 126.0 mm. A lower number is a shorter sidewall and a stiffer ride.
R19
Radial construction, 19-inch rim. The R is the carcass type, not a size. The 19 is the wheel diameter the tyre beads onto — 482.6 mm — and it is the one dimension of the three that is still in inches.

The load index and speed symbol that follow the size — the 91V part — are a separate code. Read the rest of the sidewall →

Full dimensions

Overall diameter734.6 mm28.92″
Sidewall height126.0 mm4.96″
Section width315 mm12.40″
Rim diameter19″482.6 mm
Rolling circumference2308 mm2.308 m
Revolutions per kilometre433.3697.3 per mile
Ride height contribution367.3 mmhub centre to ground, unloaded

SOURCE·Metric size geometry + UN ECE R39 speedometer tolerance·computed from the 315/40R19 designation — no catalogue, no measurement, no vintage·REVIEWED ETRTO STANDARD

What else fits where a 315/40R19 does

Every size within reach of 735 mm, closest first, judged against the ±3% convention.

AlternativeDiameter ChangeVerdictSpeedo at 100
305/40R19 727 mm −1.09% Within tolerance 98.9 km/h true
325/40R19 743 mm +1.09% Within tolerance 101.1 km/h true
285/45R19 739 mm +0.61% Within tolerance 100.6 km/h true
325/35R20 736 mm +0.12% Within tolerance 100.1 km/h true
315/35R20 729 mm −0.83% Within tolerance 99.2 km/h true
315/45R18 741 mm +0.83% Within tolerance 100.8 km/h true
305/45R18 732 mm −0.39% Within tolerance 99.6 km/h true
295/45R19 748 mm +1.84% Within tolerance 101.8 km/h true

Ranked by how close each one holds the original rolling diameter — which is the only thing this table can rank on. Whether any of them clears your arches, suits your rim width or carries your car's load is decided by the placard on your door pillar, not by this list.

What each one does to the speedometer

Assuming the car was calibrated for 315/40R19 and you fit the alternative instead. Indicated 100 km/h in every row.

Fitted insteadDiameter changeSpeedo shows 100True speedReads
305/40R19 −1.09%100 km/h98.9 km/h high — you are slower than shown
325/40R19 +1.09%100 km/h101.1 km/h low — you are faster than shown
285/45R19 +0.61%100 km/h100.6 km/h low — you are faster than shown

Reading low is the direction with no legal tolerance in it. Why that is, and what the rule says where you live →

315/40R19 — the questions that follow

What is the overall diameter of a 315/40R19 tyre?

735 mm, or 28.92″. That is the 19-inch rim (482.6 mm) plus two sidewalls of 126.0 mm each — one above the wheel centre and one below.

How tall is the sidewall on a 315/40R19?

126.0 mm. The 40 in the size is a percentage, not a measurement: the sidewall is 40% of the 315 mm section width, so 315 × 40 ÷ 100 = 126.0 mm.

What can I fit instead of a 315/40R19?

The closest alternatives on rolling diameter are 305/40R19 (−1.09%), 325/40R19 (+1.09%), 285/45R19 (+0.61%). Anything within ±3% of 735 mm keeps the speedometer and stability systems inside the band they were calibrated for — but arch clearance, rim width and load rating are separate questions that a size string cannot answer.

How many times does a 315/40R19 turn in a kilometre?

433 revolutions per kilometre, or 697 per mile. Its rolling circumference is 2.308 m, which is what the speedometer and the ABS both count against.

The geometry here is exact; whether a tyre fits YOUR car is not something geometry can answer. Arch clearance, suspension travel, offset, load rating and your vehicle's own placard all decide that, and none of them are in a size string. The ±3% rule quoted throughout is an industry convention, not a law. Confirm any change against the tyre placard on your door pillar and with a tyre fitter before you buy.

See all 10 sites in this family, with what each one answers

Published by

Amit Sharma

Auckland real-estate agent and marketer. Builds free, sourced data tools.