On a tyre, what does XL or reinforced mean?

If you own a car that often carries heavy loads, or is a multi-purpose vehicle's, e.g. a bakkie or van, it is possible that the vehicle manufacturer originally installed Extra Load (XL) or reinforced tyres. These tyres have stiffer sidewalls than normal tyres, which allow them to support the weight of heavier vehicles.

You can check on the sidewall of the tyre you currently have for the mention "XL" or "RNF", which will indicate if the tyre is reinforced. This should not be confused with "RF", which usually means run flat.

To be sure, you should also make sure that the load rating on the tyres you are buying is the same or higher than what you currently have installed.

Our site allows you to search for XL or reinforced tyres by applying the filter below on the tyre result page.

1. Filter your tyre size

2. Refine your results by selecting “Reinforced”, as illustrated below;

3. Then, click on “Update Results”

The results will be updated and will only show “Reinforced Tyres”, which are labelled with an “XL”.