205/50R17 tire size — two hundredths from a 225/40R18
Narrower than everything else at this diameter on a 17, which is exactly why it exists.
Metric notation · Passenger touring
- Overall diameter
- 25.07 in
- 637 mm
- Section width
- 8.07 in
- 205 mm
- Sidewall height
- 4.04 in
- 103 mm
- Aspect ratio
- 50%
- sidewall as a share of width
- Wheel diameter
- 17 in
- the hole in the middle
- Circumference
- 78.8 in
- 2001 mm
- Revolutions per mile
- 804.4
- geometric, not measured
- Revolutions per km
- 499.9
- geometric, not measured
- Typical load index
- 82–99
- 1047–1709 lb per tire
A passenger tire's load index tracks its air volume, and volume tracks section width and sidewall height. Sizes in this class sit in the band that carries a typical two-tonne car with its rated payload across four tires.
The load-index range shown is the band this CLASS of size is typically produced in — not a list of what is in stock for this exact size today. Load index and speed symbol are printed on the sidewall of the specific tire you are holding, and the required minimum is on the placard of the specific vehicle you are fitting. Read both.
Nearest real sizes in imperial notation, same wheel
- 32x11.50R1732.00 in tall+6.93 in
- 33x10.50R1733.00 in tall+7.93 in
- 33x12.50R1733.00 in tall+7.93 in
Compare any two sizes, including ones this site has no page for, in the comparison tool.
Platforms recorded with this size
This size exists to put a 17-inch wheel under a car that does not want a wide tire. It appears on compact hatchbacks and small saloons in mid trims, and as the narrow alternative on cars whose sportier versions run 225 or 235 mm on the same rim.
The closest match in the catalogue is on an 18-inch wheel
225/40R18 measures 25.09 in. This size measures 25.07 in. That is 0.06% apart — two hundredths of an inch — between a 17-inch tire and an 18-inch one.
The route between them is the standard trade: gain an inch of wheel, drop ten points of aspect ratio, add 20 mm of section. Sidewall falls from 4.04 in to 3.54 in and section width rises 0.79 in. Overall diameter does not move.
Everything within a quarter inch, on three wheels
| Size | Wheel | Diameter | Difference | Section |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 225/40R18 | 18 in | 25.09 in | +0.02 in | 8.86 in |
| 195/65R15 | 15 in | 24.98 in | 0.09 in | 7.68 in |
| 225/45R17 | 17 in | 24.97 in | 0.10 in | 8.86 in |
| 205/55R16 | 16 in | 24.88 in | 0.19 in | 8.07 in |
Four wheel diameters spanning three inches, five section widths, and a total diameter spread of 0.21 in. It is worth knowing this band exists, because a fitment list that offers all of these is not offering four different tire heights.
Same width, different wheel
205/55R16 is the direct one-inch-smaller counterpart: same 8.07 in of section, 0.19 in shorter, and a deeper sidewall at 4.44 in. Where the two genuinely differ is in how much casing sits between the rim and the road, which is the thing a wheel-diameter change actually buys or spends.
The whole 205 mm family fits in eight tenths of an inch
Four codes in this catalogue carry a 205 mm section, and they are remarkably reluctant to change height. 205/55R16 stands 24.88 in, this size 25.07 in, 205/65R15 25.49 in and 205/60R16 25.69 in.
The full spread is 0.81 in across three wheel diameters and four aspect ratios, and the order is not the order anyone would guess: the shortest of the four sits on a 16-inch wheel, the tallest also sits on a 16-inch wheel, and the 15-inch entry is in between.
That is what a fixed section width looks like when the market keeps re-cutting it for different wheels. The casing stays 8.07 in wide and the industry moves the sidewall and the rim around it, keeping the rolling diameter inside a 3.24% band from the shortest of the four to the tallest.
Related
- 32x11.50R1732.00 in tall
- 33x10.50R1733.00 in tall
- 33x12.50R1733.00 in tall
Class: Passenger touring. Every figure above is computed from the size code, not stored — see how these numbers are calculated.