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

325/45R22
tyre size, drawn to scale

The dimensions

Size elevation 325/45R22 · SCALE 1:3
OVERALL Ø 851 mm / 33.52″ RIM 22″ = 558.8 mm SECTION 325 MM / 12.80″ SIDEWALL 146 mm 45% OF 325 MM 325/45R22

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

851 mm A 325/45R22 stands 851 mm — 33.52″ — from the ground to the top of the tread, on a sidewall of 146.3 mm.

Every one of those figures comes out of the designation itself: 325 mm across, a sidewall 45% of that, beaded onto a 22-inch wheel. It turns 374 times per kilometre, which is the number your speedometer and ABS are really counting.

Overall diameter
851mm · 33.52″
Sidewall height
146.3mm
Section width
325mm · 12.80″
Revolutions / km
374· 602/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″.
45
Aspect ratio, 45%. The sidewall is 45% as tall as the tyre is wide, so 325 × 45 ÷ 100 = 146.3 mm. A lower number is a shorter sidewall and a stiffer ride.
R22
Radial construction, 22-inch rim. The R is the carcass type, not a size. The 22 is the wheel diameter the tyre beads onto — 558.8 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 diameter851.3 mm33.52″
Sidewall height146.3 mm5.76″
Section width325 mm12.80″
Rim diameter22″558.8 mm
Rolling circumference2674 mm2.674 m
Revolutions per kilometre373.9601.8 per mile
Ride height contribution425.6 mmhub centre to ground, unloaded

SOURCE·Metric size geometry + UN ECE R39 speedometer tolerance·computed from the 325/45R22 designation — no catalogue, no measurement, no vintage·REVIEWED ETRTO STANDARD

What else fits where a 325/45R22 does

Every size within reach of 851 mm, closest first, judged against the ±3% convention.

AlternativeDiameter ChangeVerdictSpeedo at 100
315/45R22 842 mm −1.06% Within tolerance 98.9 km/h true
295/50R22 854 mm +0.29% Within tolerance 100.3 km/h true
325/50R21 858 mm +0.83% Within tolerance 100.8 km/h true
315/50R21 848 mm −0.34% Within tolerance 99.7 km/h true
355/40R22 843 mm −1.00% Within tolerance 99.0 km/h true
345/40R22 835 mm −1.94% Within tolerance 98.1 km/h true
305/45R22 833 mm −2.11% Within tolerance 97.9 km/h true
355/45R21 853 mm +0.19% Within tolerance 100.2 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 325/45R22 and you fit the alternative instead. Indicated 100 km/h in every row.

Fitted insteadDiameter changeSpeedo shows 100True speedReads
315/45R22 −1.06%100 km/h98.9 km/h high — you are slower than shown
295/50R22 +0.29%100 km/h100.3 km/h low — you are faster than shown
325/50R21 +0.83%100 km/h100.8 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 →

325/45R22 — the questions that follow

What is the overall diameter of a 325/45R22 tyre?

851 mm, or 33.52″. That is the 22-inch rim (558.8 mm) plus two sidewalls of 146.3 mm each — one above the wheel centre and one below.

How tall is the sidewall on a 325/45R22?

146.3 mm. The 45 in the size is a percentage, not a measurement: the sidewall is 45% of the 325 mm section width, so 325 × 45 ÷ 100 = 146.3 mm.

What can I fit instead of a 325/45R22?

The closest alternatives on rolling diameter are 315/45R22 (−1.06%), 295/50R22 (+0.29%), 325/50R21 (+0.83%). Anything within ±3% of 851 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 325/45R22 turn in a kilometre?

374 revolutions per kilometre, or 602 per mile. Its rolling circumference is 2.674 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.