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Tire sizes

215/55R17 — dimensions, and the codes that match it

Narrow for a 17-inch fitment, which is why it turns up on hybrids and on the sensible trim of everything else.

Metric notation · Passenger touring

Overall diameter
26.31 in
668 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
17 in
the hole in the middle
Circumference
82.7 in
2100 mm
Revolutions per mile
766.5
geometric, not measured
Revolutions per km
476.3
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+5.69 in
  • 33x10.50R1733.00 in tall+6.69 in
  • 33x12.50R1733.00 in tall+6.69 in

Compare any two sizes, including ones this site has no page for, in the comparison tool.

Platforms recorded with this size

Overall diameter 26.31 in. Section width 8.46 in. Sidewall 4.66 in. Circumference 82.7 in and 766.5 revolutions per mile.

Mid-size saloons in their base and hybrid trims — Camry, Accord, Sonata, Malibu — plus the smaller crossovers that share their platforms. The size is chosen when a 17-inch wheel is required for appearance or brake clearance and the vehicle gains nothing from a wide tread.

Codes that land in the same place

Alternative Wheel Diameter Difference Section
235/45R18 18 in 26.33 in +0.02 in 9.25 in
215/60R16 16 in 26.16 in 0.15 in 8.46 in
255/40R18 18 in 26.03 in 0.28 in 10.04 in
225/60R16 16 in 26.63 in +0.32 in 8.86 in

The 215/60R16 entry is the most instructive: same section width, one inch less wheel, five points more aspect ratio, and 0.58% of difference. That is a plus-one relationship performed almost perfectly, and the two sizes appear together on fitment lists for exactly that reason.

The 255/40R18 entry is the same standing height reached with 1.57 in more section width — a completely different tire that a wheel-speed sensor could not tell apart from this one.

The 215 mm ladder on a 17-inch wheel

215/45R17 measures 24.62 in and 215/50R17 measures 25.46 in. Each five-point aspect step is worth 0.85 in here, so this size sits 1.69 in above the 45-series and 0.85 in above the 50.

The step is constant because the width and the wheel are held. Once either of those changes, the even spacing disappears.

Revolutions and the sensors that count them

766.5 revolutions per mile is the figure every wheel-speed-derived reading is scaled against. Fit a size with a different figure and the speedometer, the odometer and the trip computer all move together and in proportion — there is no separate correction for any of them. The speedometer calibration reference explains what can and cannot be adjusted afterwards.

Where a vehicle carries a temporary spare rather than a full-size one, that spare is almost certainly a different diameter from this size, and the mismatch is real while it is fitted. The spare tire sizes reference covers what the difference amounts to.

Related

Class: Passenger touring. Every figure above is computed from the size code, not stored — see how these numbers are calculated.