205/65R15 tire size — the tall-sidewall 15-inch fitment
A small wheel carrying a lot of tire, which is a combination the market has almost stopped making.
Metric notation · Passenger touring
- Overall diameter
- 25.49 in
- 648 mm
- Section width
- 8.07 in
- 205 mm
- Sidewall height
- 5.25 in
- 133 mm
- Aspect ratio
- 65%
- sidewall as a share of width
- Wheel diameter
- 15 in
- the hole in the middle
- Circumference
- 80.1 in
- 2034 mm
- Revolutions per mile
- 791.2
- geometric, not measured
- Revolutions per km
- 491.6
- 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
- 30x9.50R1530.00 in tall+4.51 in
- 31x10.50R1531.00 in tall+5.51 in
- 32x11.50R1532.00 in tall+6.51 in
Compare any two sizes, including ones this site has no page for, in the comparison tool.
25.49 in overall. 8.07 in of section. 5.25 in of sidewall — the deepest of any 15-inch passenger size in this catalogue. Circumference 80.1 in, and 791.2 revolutions per mile.
The combination of a modest wheel and a tall casing put this size on mid-size saloons and estates of the 1990s, on a good number of small commercial vans, and on the base trims of cars whose higher trims moved straight to 16 and 17-inch wheels.
Where the height comes from
Overall diameter is the wheel plus two sidewalls. Here each sidewall is 5.25 in against 15 in of wheel, so rubber accounts for two-fifths of the standing height. On a 205/50R17 — same section width, two inches more wheel — the sidewall is 4.04 in against 17 in, and rubber accounts for under a third.
That shift is the whole history of passenger tire fitment in one comparison. The tire has been getting shorter in profile while the assembly it sits on has stayed roughly the same diameter.
The alternatives, in ascending order of wheel size
| Size | Wheel | Diameter | Difference | Sidewall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 215/55R16 | 16 in | 25.31 in | 0.18 in | 4.66 in |
| 215/50R17 | 17 in | 25.46 in | 0.03 in | 4.23 in |
| 245/45R17 | 17 in | 25.68 in | +0.19 in | 4.34 in |
| 235/40R18 | 18 in | 25.40 in | 0.09 in | 3.70 in |
Every one of those is within a fifth of an inch of this size, and every one has less sidewall. The 215/50R17 match is the closest at 0.11%.
On the same wheel
195/65R15 is 0.51 in shorter at 24.98 in; 185/65R15 is 1.02 in shorter at 24.47 in. Both changes are pure width edits at the same aspect ratio, so the steps are even. Nothing in this catalogue is taller than this size on a 15-inch wheel until the light-truck fitments begin at 215/75R15 — 27.70 in, which is 2.20 in and 8.65% up.
Two service types on one shelf
Because small vans used this size, it is stocked in commercial constructions as well as passenger ones, and the load index differs sharply between them. The number after the size is the one to compare against the vehicle's door-jamb placard, and the load range and ply rating reference explains the older markings that sometimes appear alongside it.
Related
- 30x9.50R1530.00 in tall
- 31x10.50R1531.00 in tall
- 32x11.50R1532.00 in tall
Class: Passenger touring. Every figure above is computed from the size code, not stored — see how these numbers are calculated.