Understanding Golf Cart Tire Sizes

There’s nothing like hitting the links while cruising along on your golf cart. Yet even your trusty golf cart needs a little TLC from time to time, including new or updated tires.

But did you know that not all golf cart tires are created equal or standardized? Just like different types of automobiles require different tire sizes and types, golf carts also require different tire sizes depending on the type of cart you're sporting around.

Luckily, the team at Golf Cart Garage has put together a handy guide to help you understand your options when picking out golf cart tire packages.

Before we get into the different types it's important to understand how to read golf cart tire sizes which we'll cover first. 

How to Read Golf Cart Tire Sizes

The easiest way to understand is using a few examples so let's jump to it. 

Tire sizes can be displayed a few different ways with one requiring ratios. 

205/50-10" 

• 205 - This number is the width of the tire in millimeters (this number converts to 8 inches roughly)
• 50 - This number is a ratio that indicates how thick the sidewall of the tire is compared to the width (first number). Generally, the larger this number is the taller the tire
• 10 - This is the size of the tire to reference for matching the proper wheel size

18x8.5x8"

• 18 - The tire height in inches
• 8.5 - The width of the tire across in inches
• 8 - The wheel size that the tire should use

Golf Cart Tire Size Chart

Standard Golf Cart Tires

No doubt It can be confusing trying to figure out which golf cart tire size you need. For many cart owners, this might be their first new tire purchase. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

Many stock golf cart tires clock in at 18 inches tall and 8.5 inches wide when full of air at the proper tire pressure. This type of tire can be fitted on an 8-inch round hub. The two most common stock tire sizes are 8 inches wide and 7 inches wide. 

However, these tires can come in other sizes as well, such as: 

• 10-inch tires
• 12-inch tires
• 14-inch tires

There are even options to customize your tires depending on your needs or make/model.

Consult a Wheel Finder

If you know the basic information about your golf cart, you can eliminate the guesswork by using an application to find the correct tire size for your golf cart.

Information you will generally need includes the following:

• The make of your golf cart
• The model of your golf cart
• The year your golf cart was manufactured

All of this can help you find out which tire is best suited to your golf cart. You can also keep an old tire to use as a reference. Even taking a picture of the tire may be helpful, as long as you get a close up of the tire to show any relevant information. 

Lifted and Non-Lifted Carts

Another factor that will make a difference in your golf cart tire size is whether your cart is lifted or not. Lift kits are used to create more distance between the bottom of your cart and the ground. This is useful for all-terrain situations. 

If you have a lifted cart, this will also affect your golf cart tire size. Lifted carts usually require larger tires or ones that are offset to make up for the height differential.

Wheel Offset

Some wheels have an offset that needs to be accounted for. Dealing with wheel offset might seem a bit frustrating at first. But let’s break down how to figure this out…

• The first number in the offset is how much backspacing is being represented.
• The second number is the distance from the mounting space (where the wheel touches the hub) to the front edge of the wheel itself.
• You can tell your wheel is centered when there is an equal distance between the front and rear wheel edge from where the hub touches the wheel.

Know Your Profile 

There are two profiles (referring to the kind of tire tread) that golf cart tires are available in:

1. Low Profile: Low profile golf cart tires are thin and will fit on most carts that do not have a lift kit. Think of these as being similar to the sleek, stylish and performance-minded low profile tires you’d put on a sports car.
   
2. Off-Road: These golf cart tires (otherwise known as all-terrain) are thicker and intended to handle rough terrain with ease. If you don’t use your cart a lot of paved and flat/smooth surfaces, these tires might be the best option.

By knowing all the customization options on your golf cart, you can narrow down the appropriate tires for your cart. This will help make your selection less confusing, also.

Research Your Tires Before A Purchase

There is a lot of information to consider before purchasing new golf cart tires. 

The size can depend on many different factors, including:

• The make and model of your cart
• Whether or not you installed a lift kit
• If wheel offset needs to be considered
• If the tire is high or low profile

By knowing all of these factors, you can be sure to buy the right tire for your golf cart. Take the guesswork out by learning about your golf cart tire sizes before they need to be replaced. 

Updated February 23, 2021