235/60R17 — four single edits and what each one costs
A mid-size crossover fitment, and a good place to see that the four numbers in a size code do not carry equal weight.
Metric notation · Crossover and SUV
- Overall diameter
- 28.10 in
- 714 mm
- Section width
- 9.25 in
- 235 mm
- Sidewall height
- 5.55 in
- 141 mm
- Aspect ratio
- 60%
- sidewall as a share of width
- Wheel diameter
- 17 in
- the hole in the middle
- Circumference
- 88.3 in
- 2242 mm
- Revolutions per mile
- 717.7
- geometric, not measured
- Revolutions per km
- 445.9
- geometric, not measured
- Typical load index
- 98–116
- 1653–2756 lb per tire
Crossovers are heavier than the cars they share size families with, so the same nominal size is produced at a higher index for SUV fitment than for passenger fitment. Two tires wearing the same size code can carry materially different loads.
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+3.90 in
- 33x10.50R1733.00 in tall+4.90 in
- 33x12.50R1733.00 in tall+4.90 in
Compare any two sizes, including ones this site has no page for, in the comparison tool.
Platforms recorded with this size
Escape, Equinox, CR-V, Outlander and the mid-size crossover class generally, in their 17-inch options.
One change at a time
Take this code and alter exactly one element. Four edits, four results:
| Edit | Becomes | Diameter | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Width down 10 mm | 225/60R17 | 27.63 in | 0.47 in, 1.68% |
| Aspect down 5 | 235/55R17 | 27.18 in | 0.93 in, 3.29% |
| Aspect up 5 | 235/65R17 | 29.03 in | +0.93 in, 3.29% |
| Wheel up 1 in | 235/60R18 | 29.10 in | +1.00 in, 3.56% |
The aspect ratio is worth twice as much as the width, and the wheel is worth slightly more again. That ordering holds at any width, but the actual figures scale with the section: on a narrower casing the aspect step shrinks while the wheel step stays at exactly one inch.
The wheel step is the only one of the four that is the same on every tire in existence, because it is the only element of the code that is already a diameter rather than an input to one.
What that means when reading a fitment list
A list offering 225/60R17 and 235/60R17 is offering two sizes 1.68% apart. A list offering 235/55R17 and 235/65R17 is offering two sizes 6.81% apart, which is a genuinely different tire height and a visible difference at the arch. The codes look equally similar. They are not.
Its match in the light-truck part of the catalogue
225/75R15 measures 28.29 in — 0.66% above this size, with 6.64 in of sidewall on a 15-inch wheel. An old compact-pickup size and a modern crossover size, standing within a fifth of an inch of each other.
The fifth edit, which is not in the code
There is one more change available that the four rows above cannot express: mounting the same tire on a wider or narrower rim. It alters the casing's shape without altering a single character of the size — the width the tire actually measures goes one way, the height it actually stands goes very slightly the other. It is the only dimension change a driver can make without buying different tires, and it is the one the code is structurally incapable of recording. The rim width to tire width reference quantifies it.
Related
- 225/60R17 vs 235/60R17
- 32x11.50R1732.00 in tall
- 33x10.50R1733.00 in tall
- 33x12.50R1733.00 in tall
Class: Crossover and SUV. Every figure above is computed from the size code, not stored — see how these numbers are calculated.