Question on comparing tire tread width

[cwmusser]

Any tire experts out there?? This is a general question on sizing and most manufacturers today do not post "tread width" numbers on there tires.
Question: If the aspect ratio of a tire is the same (let's say a 265), will a 265/50R20 have a "wider tread" than a 265/70R16?
Any help is appreciated. Thank you!

[blitzer454]

I use tirerack.com to look at different tread widths. They use their own tool (https://www.tirerack.com/upgrade-garage/how-does-tire-rack-measure-tread-width) to measure the tread width so that way there isn't any discrepancy from manufacturer to manufacturer.

[cwmusser]

I have been on a lot of websites but they don't normally list tread width, just section width. I know how to measure tread width if I have a tire to measure, but in this case I only have a 265/50R20 and I want to know if a 265/70R16 tread will be somewhat narrower. Thanks for your feedback.

[Vimes]

They actually do put the tread width on, just in metric. For a 265/50R20, the tire is 265mm (10.4in) wide, and the sidewall is 50 percent of this so 132.5mm (5.2in,) with the rim measured in inches. 25.4mm is 1 inch, so you would divide the mm by 25.4 to get the number in inches. But, these measurements are also closest to - same way with engines. A 5.7, for example, can be anything from a 345 to a 350 as a 5.7 is 347.8353cid.

A 265/50R20 is the same width as a 265/70R16, both would be about 10.4 inches wide. Both tires are almost the same diameter with the 20 being 30.4in vs the 16 being 30.6in. The sidewall on the 16 is massive compared to the 20 though.

I like using this site for such stuff as it gives you a visualization of what two different tires/wheels would look like next to each other.
https://tiresize.com/comparison/

[Lonnies Performance]

That is sidewall width, not tread width. The tread can vary significantly depending on the manufacturer.

[blitzer454]

I have been on a lot of websites but they don't normally list tread width, just section width. I know how to measure tread width if I have a tire to measure, but in this case I only have a 265/50R20 and I want to know if a 265/70R16 tread will be somewhat narrower. Thanks for your feedback.

What do you mean? Tire rack does show the tread width and section width for most if not all their tires. Another thing to consider is that the tread width is dependent on the rim width. For example using your tire sizes I looked at the General Grabber HTS 60 tire and compared the tread widths. The 265/70R16 has a tread width of 8" using an 8" measuring rim and the 265/50R20 has a tread width of 9" but they used an 8.5" measuring rim which makes the tread width an inch wider otherwise I suspect that the tread width would have been the same.

[cwmusser]

I do thank everyone that has responded to my question. It seems that in most cases the tread width is getting confused with the section width. The section width "can" get wider if mounted on a wider wheel. The tread width should stay constant if measured correctly. I have just been under the opinion that









































































































































































































































































































































I do appreciate all the responses. It seems that many people confuse tread width with section width but they are two different things. The section width of a 265 tire (for example) typically does not change as the aspect ratio changes. Example; the 265/50 is 8.4 and the 265/70 is also 8.4 on the section width. BUT, I believe as the aspect ratio gets bigger, therefore the sidewall gets taller, the measured tread width gets somewhat smaller.
I was just trying to confirm this since I cannot find posted tread widths on the tires I'm looking at.
Thanks again!!

[Olds.PhD]

I do appreciate all the responses. It seems that many people confuse tread width with section width but they are two different things. The section width of a 265 tire (for example) typically does not change as the aspect ratio changes. Example; the 265/50 is 8.4 and the 265/70 is also 8.4 on the section width. BUT, I believe as the aspect ratio gets bigger, therefore the sidewall gets taller, the measured tread width gets somewhat smaller.
I was just trying to confirm this since I cannot find posted tread widths on the tires I'm looking at.
Thanks again!!

I have no idea why you are so resistant to actually using the answer you were given, but you need to actually go to tirerack.com as was recommended. They list section width AND TREAD WIDTH. Picking the first tires in each size (Michelin Defender LTX on the 265/70 and Pirelli Scorpion Weatheractive on the 265/50) I get 7.4" on the 265/70 and 9.3" on the 265/50 for tread width. Section width is 10.7" vs 10.9" for each, respectively. Each tire will have different measurements, so go look at the specific tires you are looking for ON TIRERACK.COM

[dontlifttoshift]

One more for TireRack being the only reliable place to compare tread widths as they use the same measuring standard, in house, to measure all of their tires.

[cwmusser]

Hey guys, thanks for putting up with me. I don't know what I was doing wrong, but I did find the tread "width" listed in the specs at Tirerack.com.
I appreciate your input and patience.