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

345/35R18
tyre size, drawn to scale

The dimensions

Size elevation 345/35R18 · SCALE 1:3
OVERALL Ø 699 mm / 27.51″ RIM 18″ = 457.2 mm SECTION 345 MM / 13.58″ SIDEWALL 121 mm 35% OF 345 MM 345/35R18

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

699 mm A 345/35R18 stands 699 mm — 27.51″ — from the ground to the top of the tread, on a sidewall of 120.8 mm.

Every one of those figures comes out of the designation itself: 345 mm across, a sidewall 35% of that, beaded onto a 18-inch wheel. It turns 456 times per kilometre, which is the number your speedometer and ABS are really counting.

Overall diameter
699mm · 27.51″
Sidewall height
120.8mm
Section width
345mm · 13.58″
Revolutions / km
456· 733/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.

345
Section width, 345 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 13.58″.
35
Aspect ratio, 35%. The sidewall is 35% as tall as the tyre is wide, so 345 × 35 ÷ 100 = 120.8 mm. A lower number is a shorter sidewall and a stiffer ride.
R18
Radial construction, 18-inch rim. The R is the carcass type, not a size. The 18 is the wheel diameter the tyre beads onto — 457.2 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 diameter698.7 mm27.51″
Sidewall height120.8 mm4.75″
Section width345 mm13.58″
Rim diameter18″457.2 mm
Rolling circumference2195 mm2.195 m
Revolutions per kilometre455.6733.2 per mile
Ride height contribution349.4 mmhub centre to ground, unloaded

SOURCE·Metric size geometry + UN ECE R39 speedometer tolerance·computed from the 345/35R18 designation — no catalogue, no measurement, no vintage·REVIEWED ETRTO STANDARD

What else fits where a 345/35R18 does

Every size within reach of 699 mm, closest first, judged against the ±3% convention.

AlternativeDiameter ChangeVerdictSpeedo at 100
335/35R18 692 mm −1.00% Within tolerance 99.0 km/h true
355/35R18 706 mm +1.00% Within tolerance 101.0 km/h true
335/40R17 700 mm +0.16% Within tolerance 100.2 km/h true
355/30R19 696 mm −0.44% Within tolerance 99.6 km/h true
345/40R17 708 mm +1.30% Within tolerance 101.3 km/h true
345/30R19 690 mm −1.30% Within tolerance 98.7 km/h true
315/40R18 709 mm +1.50% Within tolerance 101.5 km/h true
325/35R18 685 mm −2.00% Within tolerance 98.0 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 345/35R18 and you fit the alternative instead. Indicated 100 km/h in every row.

Fitted insteadDiameter changeSpeedo shows 100True speedReads
335/35R18 −1.00%100 km/h99.0 km/h high — you are slower than shown
355/35R18 +1.00%100 km/h101.0 km/h low — you are faster than shown
335/40R17 +0.16%100 km/h100.2 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 →

345/35R18 — the questions that follow

What is the overall diameter of a 345/35R18 tyre?

699 mm, or 27.51″. That is the 18-inch rim (457.2 mm) plus two sidewalls of 120.8 mm each — one above the wheel centre and one below.

How tall is the sidewall on a 345/35R18?

120.8 mm. The 35 in the size is a percentage, not a measurement: the sidewall is 35% of the 345 mm section width, so 345 × 35 ÷ 100 = 120.8 mm.

What can I fit instead of a 345/35R18?

The closest alternatives on rolling diameter are 335/35R18 (−1.00%), 355/35R18 (+1.00%), 335/40R17 (+0.16%). Anything within ±3% of 699 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 345/35R18 turn in a kilometre?

456 revolutions per kilometre, or 733 per mile. Its rolling circumference is 2.195 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.