215/55R16 tire size — one inch of wheel, one inch of tire
The mid-size saloon's 16-inch fitment, and the clearest demonstration that wheel diameter is simply added to the sum.
Metric notation · Passenger touring
- Overall diameter
- 25.31 in
- 643 mm
- Section width
- 8.46 in
- 215 mm
- Sidewall height
- 4.66 in
- 118 mm
- Aspect ratio
- 55%
- sidewall as a share of width
- Wheel diameter
- 16 in
- the hole in the middle
- Circumference
- 79.5 in
- 2020 mm
- Revolutions per mile
- 796.8
- geometric, not measured
- Revolutions per km
- 495.1
- 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
- 31x10.50R1631.00 in tall+5.69 in
- 33x12.50R1633.00 in tall+7.69 in
- 35x12.50R1635.00 in tall+9.69 in
Compare any two sizes, including ones this site has no page for, in the comparison tool.
Platforms recorded with this size
25.31 in overall. 8.46 in of section width. 4.66 in of sidewall, 79.5 in of circumference, 796.8 revolutions per mile.
Passat, Insignia, Mazda6, Sonata and a long tail of mid-size saloons and estates carried this size as their base fitment, and a number of efficiency-focused models still specify it because a 16-inch wheel is lighter and cheaper than the 17 or 18 above it.
The identical code, one wheel size up
215/55R17 is the same width, the same aspect ratio and therefore the same 4.66 in of sidewall. It measures 26.31 in against this size's 25.31 in — a difference of exactly 1.00 in, or 3.95%.
That is not a coincidence and it is worth internalising. Overall diameter is wheel diameter plus two sidewalls, so if the sidewall does not change, an extra inch of wheel adds exactly one inch of tire. Every other kind of size change involves the sidewall and therefore does not behave so simply.
Near-identical, on a bigger wheel and a wider tread
| Size | Wheel | Diameter | Difference | Sidewall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 235/45R17 | 17 in | 25.33 in | +0.02 in | 4.16 in |
| 235/40R18 | 18 in | 25.40 in | +0.09 in | 3.70 in |
| 215/50R17 | 17 in | 25.46 in | +0.15 in | 4.23 in |
| 205/65R15 | 15 in | 25.49 in | +0.18 in | 5.25 in |
Four codes, four wheel diameters, four section widths, all within 0.72% of this size. The one thing they all give up relative to it is sidewall — 235/40R18 runs nearly an inch less.
Its own 16-inch ladder
205/55R16 is 0.43 in shorter at 24.88 in; 205/60R16 is 0.37 in taller at 25.69 in; 215/60R16 is 0.85 in taller at 26.16 in. Notice that a 10 mm width reduction and a five-point aspect increase move the diameter in opposite directions by similar amounts, which is exactly how a manufacturer covers several trim levels without recalibrating anything.
Winter markings on a size that gets a second set
A great many cars on this size run a separate winter set, and the marking that distinguishes a severe-snow tire from a merely mud-and-snow one is the three-peak mountain snowflake rather than the older M+S stamp. The two are not equivalent, and only one of them involves a test. The M+S and 3PMSF markings reference sets out the difference.
Related
- 215/55R16 vs 225/45R17
- 31x10.50R1631.00 in tall
- 33x12.50R1633.00 in tall
- 35x12.50R1635.00 in tall
Class: Passenger touring. Every figure above is computed from the size code, not stored — see how these numbers are calculated.