Part of the data ring
TireFit
Size sheet · one designationOutside the usual envelope

325/40R13
tyre size, drawn to scale

The dimensions

Size elevation 325/40R13 · SCALE 1:3
OVERALL Ø 590 mm / 23.24″ RIM 13″ = 330.2 mm SECTION 325 MM / 12.80″ SIDEWALL 130 mm 40% OF 325 MM 325/40R13

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

590 mm A 325/40R13 stands 590 mm — 23.24″ — from the ground to the top of the tread, on a sidewall of 130.0 mm.

Every one of those figures comes out of the designation itself: 325 mm across, a sidewall 40% of that, beaded onto a 13-inch wheel. It turns 539 times per kilometre, which is the number your speedometer and ABS are really counting.

Overall diameter
590mm · 23.24″
Sidewall height
130.0mm
Section width
325mm · 12.80″
Revolutions / km
539· 868/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.

325
Section width, 325 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 12.80″.
40
Aspect ratio, 40%. The sidewall is 40% as tall as the tyre is wide, so 325 × 40 ÷ 100 = 130.0 mm. A lower number is a shorter sidewall and a stiffer ride.
R13
Radial construction, 13-inch rim. The R is the carcass type, not a size. The 13 is the wheel diameter the tyre beads onto — 330.2 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 diameter590.2 mm23.24″
Sidewall height130.0 mm5.12″
Section width325 mm12.80″
Rim diameter13″330.2 mm
Rolling circumference1854 mm1.854 m
Revolutions per kilometre539.3868.0 per mile
Ride height contribution295.1 mmhub centre to ground, unloaded

SOURCE·Metric size geometry + UN ECE R39 speedometer tolerance·computed from the 325/40R13 designation — no catalogue, no measurement, no vintage·REVIEWED ETRTO STANDARD

325/40R13 — the questions that follow

What is the overall diameter of a 325/40R13 tyre?

590 mm, or 23.24″. That is the 13-inch rim (330.2 mm) plus two sidewalls of 130.0 mm each — one above the wheel centre and one below.

How tall is the sidewall on a 325/40R13?

130.0 mm. The 40 in the size is a percentage, not a measurement: the sidewall is 40% of the 325 mm section width, so 325 × 40 ÷ 100 = 130.0 mm.

What can I fit instead of a 325/40R13?

This size sits at the edge of the conventional fitment envelope, so there are no close alternatives inside the ±3% band on this rim. Check your vehicle's tyre placard before considering anything wider or taller.

How many times does a 325/40R13 turn in a kilometre?

539 revolutions per kilometre, or 868 per mile. Its rolling circumference is 1.854 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.