Why the Same Tyre Costs More in 165/70R12 Than 145/80R12

Three tyre models are priced in both 145/80R12 and 165/70R12, and all three of them cost more in 165/70R12, by Rs 8,000 or Rs 10,000 for a set of four. The prices here are Shaharyar Traders' listings on CircleWheels, last updated on 3 June 2026.

The physical difference between the two sizes is small. The price difference on the same model is not.

Same 116 mm sidewall, 20 mm more section width

The two sizes share a sidewall height of 116 mm. What changes is the section width: 165/70R12 is 20 mm wider, at 165 mm against 145 mm.

Overall diameter barely moves. It is 537 mm for 145/80R12 and 536 mm for 165/70R12, a drop of 1 mm (0.2%) going to the wider size. Circumference goes from 1,686 mm to 1,683 mm, so the wheel turns about 594 times per kilometre on 165/70R12 against about 593 on 145/80R12.

A 0.2% speedometer shift, in both directions

With 165/70R12 fitted where a car was calibrated for 145/80R12, the speedometer would read about 0.2% above the true speed. Run the other way, with 145/80R12 fitted where a car was calibrated for 165/70R12, the smaller revolution count means the speedometer would read slightly below the true speed.

The shift is small, but it is still a change to how the car measures speed and distance, and the reference is not the price tag. The car's placard decides which size it takes. Anyone hoping to move from one size to the other simply to pay less should start from that placard, not from the price gap below.

The car page that lists both sizes

One car page on CircleWheels lists both sizes: the Suzuki Khyber (1989–2000), whose page lists 145/80/12, 155/70/12 and 165/70/12. A car page lists sizes across trims and model years, so it does not mean one Khyber can take both.

The three models priced in both sizes

Each Dunlop costs Rs 2,500 a tyre more in 165/70R12, Rs 10,000 for four; the Bridgestone TECHNO costs Rs 2,000 a tyre more, Rs 8,000 for four. In 145/80R12 the Bridgestone TECHNO at Rs 15,500 sits above the two Dunlops at Rs 15,000; in 165/70R12 all three land on Rs 17,500. None of the three is the same price or cheaper in 165/70R12.

Where the cheapest model-name tyres sit in each size

The same-model comparison favours 145/80R12, but the lowest-priced tyres listed with a model name tell a different story. In 145/80R12 the lowest comparable price is Rs 15,000, shared by three Dunlop tyres: Dunlop SP TOURING T1, Dunlop SP 22 and Dunlop SP 10. In 165/70R12 it is Rs 12,500, shared by two General tyres: General Euro Kompact and General BG Tempo Plus.

Between the Dunlop SP TOURING T1 at Rs 15,000 and the General Euro Kompact at Rs 12,500, the gap is Rs 2,500 a tyre, or Rs 10,000 for four. That gap belongs to those two tyres, not to the sizes in general.

The 165/70R12 listings also come from more brands with a model name: seven, against three in 145/80R12. Below Dunlop and Bridgestone, both from Rs 17,500 in this size, sit the Advenza Milega at Rs 14,500, the Kumho Ecowing ES31 and the Nexen Npriz SH9i at Rs 15,000 each. At the top, the Yokohama S707 alone reaches Rs 18,000.

In 145/80R12 the comparable model-name tyres run from Rs 15,000 to Rs 15,500, with five Bridgestone tyres at the upper figure, including the Bridgestone K305 and Bridgestone Turanza ER60. Three van or light-commercial tyres, going by their model names, are left out of that comparison: the Dunlop Enasave VAN01 at Rs 15,000, and the Yokohama Job RY52 and Yokohama Super Van 356 at Rs 16,000 each.

Brand-only listings: Rs 18,000 or Rs 1,000 below a model-name set

Each size has 53 brand-only listings, where the dealer gives a brand but no model name, and within each size they share one price: Rs 10,500 in 145/80R12 and Rs 12,250 in 165/70R12.

What that saves differs sharply. In 145/80R12, stepping up from a brand-only tyre at Rs 10,500 to a comparable model-name tyre at Rs 15,000, the lowest price for one in this size, costs Rs 4,500 a tyre, Rs 18,000 for a set of four. In 165/70R12 the step from Rs 12,250 to Rs 12,500 is Rs 250 a tyre, Rs 1,000 for four.