215/60R16
215 mm across the tread, a sidewall 60% of that — 129 mm — on a 16-inch rim. That puts the whole wheel at 26.2 inches tall.
- Sidewall
- 5.08"
- 129 mm
- Overall
- 26.2"
- 664.4 mm
- Circumference
- 82.2"
- 2.087 m
- Revs per mile
- 771
- per minute at 60 mph
What it needs to sit oni
Rim widths are the approved range for this section, published by ETRTO and
the Tire and Rim Association. Section width is quoted on one measuring rim;
the 5 mm per half-inch is the industry rule of thumb, not a guarantee.
It mounts on a rim between 6" and 8" wide, and the tread follows the rim: roughly 5 mm of section width for every half-inch, so about 205 mm across at the narrow end and 225 mm at the wide one. Written the way lift kits and wheel wells are, it is a 26.2×8.5R16 — tall by wide, in inches.
What goes wrong on this sizei
Complaints filed with NHTSA since 1995. One driver's account each, not a
finding of fault — and a common size collects more by being common.
284 drivers have filed a complaint. 9 of them ended in a crash, hurting 4 people. Nobody died.
207 of them name what let go, and it is most often blowout. Continental is named more than any other brand.
| What let go | Complaints |
|---|---|
| blowout | 47 |
| tread separation | 46 |
| out of round | 34 |
| road hazard | 26 |
| crack | 25 |
| blister | 24 |
| puncture | 5 |
| not stated | 77 |
Where the wheel is named, 119 of 188 were on the front — the end that steers.
What fits insteadi
Ride height is how much higher or lower the axle ends up — half the change in
overall height. Wheel wells and fender clearance move by the same amount.
Same 16-inch rim, height within 3%. Past that the speedometer starts lying and things begin to rub.
| Size | Height | Ride height | Speedo reads 60, you do | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 235/55R16 | 26.2" +0.1 % | +0.3 mm | 60.0 mph | side by side |
| 195/65R16 | 26.0" -0.7 % | -2.3 mm | 59.6 mph | side by side |
| 205/65R16 | 26.5" +1.3 % | +4.3 mm | 60.8 mph | side by side |
| 225/55R16 | 25.7" -1.6 % | -5.3 mm | 59.1 mph | side by side |
| 205/60R16 | 25.7" -1.8 % | -6.0 mm | 58.9 mph | side by side |
| 225/60R16 | 26.6" +1.8 % | +6.0 mm | 61.1 mph | side by side |
| 195/70R16 | 26.7" +2.3 % | +7.5 mm | 61.4 mph | side by side |
Same height, different rim
Bigger rim, same overall height. Sharper steering, harsher ride, and far less rubber between your wheel and the next pothole.
Tires graded in this size
Longest-lasting tread first. The grade is set by the maker and checked by regulators.
| Tire | Treadwear | Wet grip |
|---|---|---|
| Hankook KInERGy PT | 860 | A |
| Big O LEGACY TOUR PLUS | 700 | A |
| Delta ESTEEM XLE | 700 | A |
| Hankook KInERGy GT | 700 | A |
| Montgomery OVATION | 700 | A |
| Yokohama AVID TRZ | 700 | A |
| Cyclone Ultra Tour (TR) | 620 | A |
| Tigar EXTENSA AS II | 620 | A |
| Yokohama AVID Touring | 620 | A |
| Hankook NEW ENGLANDER 4s | 600 | A |
| CERTIFIED AllTrek | 560 | A |
| Firestone FR710 | 560 | A |
If you fit something taller
A taller tire covers more ground per turn, so the needle reads low and the odometer counts short. Over ten thousand miles on the dial, the last column is what you really drove.
| Fitted instead | Reads 30 | Reads 50 | Reads 70 | Real miles per 10,000 shown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 235/55R16 | 30.0 mph | 50.0 mph | 70.1 mph | 10,008 |
| 195/65R16 | 29.8 mph | 49.7 mph | 69.5 mph | 9,932 |
| 205/65R16 | 30.4 mph | 50.6 mph | 70.9 mph | 10,128 |
| 225/55R16 | 29.5 mph | 49.2 mph | 68.9 mph | 9,842 |
| 205/60R16 | 29.5 mph | 49.1 mph | 68.7 mph | 9,819 |