Find Tyres in Australia: Use Rego Lookup, ADR and Same Day Fitting
Enter your registration or select your make, model and year to pull up the factory tyre sizes fitted to your car, then confirm the load and speed rating against the door placard or tyre sidewall before you buy. A rego lookup gets you close in seconds. The placard and sidewall settle any doubt and keep you within legal and safety limits.
TL;DR:
- Use a vehicle or registration lookup to quickly find factory tyre sizes, but always cross-check results against your tyre sidewall and door placard before ordering.
- The door placard is the authoritative source for pressure and tyre size, as it reflects specific vehicle configuration and weight distribution.
- Tyre sizes are coded with critical ratings like load index and speed symbol, which must meet or exceed your vehicle’s minimum requirements.
- Deviating from factory tyre size is limited by Australian regulations, with specific tolerances for diameter and load ratings that require certification beyond certain limits.
- Always have a professional fitter verify clearance, safety, and compliance before installing non-standard sizes or aftermarket wheels.
Table of Contents
- Use a vehicle or rego lookup to find your factory tyre size fast
- Where to read your tyre size: sidewall, door placard and owner’s manual
- How to read tyre size codes and ratings
- Legal and safety limits when changing tyre size
- Choosing a compatible alternate size: the checks that matter
- Why a professional fitter and alignment check matter
- A practical way to check fitment and book a fitting
- A practical recommendation from someone who has shopped for tyres the hard way
- How we help you book the right tyres and fitting
- FAQ
- Sources
Use a vehicle or rego lookup to find your factory tyre size fast
A licence plate or vehicle lookup tool is the quickest way to get the original equipment tyre sizes for your car. Most tools ask for your registration number and state, or let you select make, model, year and sometimes trim when the rego search does not narrow things down enough. Vehicle lookup platforms can drill down to series or trim level and return validated alternate sizes alongside the factory fitment, which cuts down on mismatched orders.
A typical result includes:
- Front and rear tyre sizes, which may differ on staggered fitments
- Recommended cold tyre pressures for normal and loaded driving
- Rim diameter and width specifications
- Any optional factory wheel packages fitted to that model
These results reflect the factory configuration only. If your car has had a wheel upgrade, a suspension lift or aftermarket rims fitted before you owned it, the lookup result might not match what is actually on your car.
Pro Tip: Always cross-check a lookup result against your tyre sidewall and door placard before ordering, especially on a used car with an unknown modification history.
Where to read your tyre size: sidewall, door placard and owner’s manual
Three physical sources carry your tyre information, and they do not always agree.
- Tyre sidewall: printed directly on the tyre in a format like 205/55 R16 91V, reflecting what is currently fitted, not necessarily what the manufacturer specified.
- Driver door jamb placard: a sticker inside the door frame listing the vehicle manufacturer’s specified tyre size and pressures for that exact model and trim.
- Owner’s manual: usually repeats the placard information and sometimes lists approved alternate sizes for different wheel packages.
The door placard is the authoritative source for pressure, because it accounts for the vehicle’s weight distribution and handling characteristics, while the sidewall only shows the tyre’s maximum pressure rating. When the sidewall, placard and a lookup tool disagree, check the wheels themselves for size stamps and look for signs of a trim change or prior modification. A mismatch often means someone fitted non-standard wheels before you bought the car.
How to read tyre size codes and ratings
A tyre marking like 205/55 R16 91V packs five pieces of information into a short code:
- 205 is the tyre’s width in millimetres
- 55 is the aspect ratio, meaning the sidewall height as a percentage of width
- R indicates radial construction
- 16 is the wheel rim diameter in inches
- 91V is the load index and speed symbol together
The load index tells you the maximum weight the tyre can carry, and the speed symbol tells you the maximum sustained speed it is rated for. Speed ratings run from J, rated to 100 km/h, through to Y, rated to 300 km/h, and fitting a tyre below the minimum rating listed on your placard can affect both roadworthiness and your insurance position. Your placard and owner’s manual list the minimum acceptable load index and speed symbol for your vehicle, and any replacement tyre needs to meet or exceed both figures.
Legal and safety limits when changing tyre size
Fitting a tyre size other than the factory original is not simply a matter of preference. Australian Design Rule guidance sets real limits on how far you can deviate.
- Overall diameter changes have defined tolerances, and ADR guidance for passenger vehicles allows roughly +15mm to -26mm from the original diameter before certification is required.
- Rim diameters must match across an axle. You cannot run different rim sizes on the left and right of the same axle.
- Load index and speed rating must meet or exceed the placard minimum, never fall below it.
- Off-road and 4WD categories carry their own separate diameter limits, distinct from standard passenger vehicle rules.
Fitting tyres outside these limits risks a failed roadworthy inspection, complications with an insurance claim after an incident and a speedometer reading that drifts from your actual road speed. Larger deviations often require certification through your state’s vehicle standards authority before the car can be legally registered with the new tyres fitted.
Choosing a compatible alternate size: the checks that matter
If your factory size is unavailable or you want a slightly different fitment, run through these checks before ordering.
- Calculate the new tyre’s overall diameter and confirm it sits within the roughly ±3% tolerance commonly used as an industry guideline, or within the specific ADR limits for your vehicle category.
- Check physical clearance against the strut, guard and brake calliper, and consider whether the change affects ABS or stability control sensor accuracy.
- Keep front and rear aspect ratios within the manufacturer’s recommended difference, and never mix rim diameters on the same axle.
- Confirm the load index and speed rating of the alternate meet or beat the placard minimum, not just the figure printed on your old tyres.
A tyre size calculator does this diameter comparison automatically, which saves manual arithmetic and reduces the chance of ordering something that looks close but falls outside tolerance.
Pro Tip: When in doubt about clearance or ABS impact, ask your fitter to check a near-identical vehicle’s known fitment history before you commit to an alternate size.
Why a professional fitter and alignment check matter
Booking with a qualified fitter protects you from a size that technically clears your wheel arch but creates a handling or safety problem. Ask the fitter to confirm the load and speed rating against your placard, check clearance at full lock and full compression, verify correct torque on the wheel nuts and balance each wheel properly.
- Wheel alignment should be checked roughly every 6,000 to 10,000 km, since poor alignment is a leading cause of uneven, premature tyre wear.
- Keep your fitment receipt and any certification paperwork if your new size required formal approval, since you may need it for a roadworthy inspection or insurance claim later.
A practical way to check fitment and book a fitting
Searching by vehicle or by tyre size and comparing itemised prices before booking takes the guesswork out of ordering the right tyre. You can search by rego, make and model, or tyre size, then preview how a tyre looks on your actual car using augmented reality before you buy. Checkout runs quickly, with same-day fitting confirmation from a local partner once you book.
Before confirming any purchase, verify the size, load index and speed rating against your door placard. That one check protects you from a size that looks right but falls short of what your vehicle actually needs.
A practical recommendation from someone who has shopped for tyres the hard way
Start with a rego lookup, then verify the result against your sidewall and door placard before you spend a cent. That sequence catches the mismatches that cost people money and time. If you are considering anything outside the factory spec, a professional fitter should check clearance and compliance before the new tyres go on.
— Areesh
How we help you book the right tyres and fitting
The platform is built around the same workflow this article describes: search by your vehicle or by tyre size, compare prices from local fitters, preview the tyre on your actual car with augmented reality and lock in a booking quickly with same-day fitting confirmation.
Before you book, have your registration details handy and confirm the size, load index and speed rating against your door placard. Then head to our tyres page to search your vehicle and compare fitters near you.
- Search by rego, make and model, or tyre size
- Preview tyres on your car with AR before buying
- Compare itemised prices from verified local fitters
- Get same-day fitting confirmation after checkout
FAQ
What is the fastest way to find out what tyres fit my car?
A registration or vehicle lookup tool is the fastest method, returning your factory tyre sizes in seconds once you enter your plate or select make, model and year. Confirm the result against your door placard or tyre sidewall before ordering, since modifications or aftermarket wheels will not show up in a lookup.
Can I fit a different tyre size to my car legally?
You can, within limits set by ADR guidance, which allows a defined diameter tolerance before certification is required.
Should I use the tyre sidewall pressure or the door placard pressure?
Use the door placard figure, since it reflects the vehicle manufacturer’s specific weight and handling calculations rather than the tyre’s manufacturing maximum. The sidewall pressure is the tyre’s upper limit, not a recommended running pressure for your car.
How often should I get a wheel alignment?
Most fitters recommend checking alignment every 6,000 to 10,000 km, since misalignment is a common cause of uneven, accelerated tyre wear. Getting it checked after any new tyre fitment or suspension work is also worthwhile.
Can I book tyres and fitting online for my specific car?
Yes. Our platform lets you search by registration, make and model, or tyre size, then compare itemised pricing from local fitters and book a fitting with same-day confirmation through the tyres page.
Sources
- Nt
- Infrastructure
- Vehicle standards and modifications | SA Government
- Registration based vehicle lookups | Vehicle Logic