225/75R15
225 mm across the tread, a sidewall 75% of that — 169 mm — on a 15-inch rim. That puts the whole wheel at 28.3 inches tall.
- Sidewall
- 6.64"
- 169 mm
- Overall
- 28.3"
- 718.5 mm
- Circumference
- 88.9"
- 2.257 m
- Revs per mile
- 713
- 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 8.5" wide, and the tread follows the rim: roughly 5 mm of section width for every half-inch, so about 213 mm across at the narrow end and 238 mm at the wide one. Written the way lift kits and wheel wells are, it is a 28.3×8.9R15 — 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.
258 drivers have filed a complaint. 10 of them ended in a crash, hurting 8 people. Nobody died.
231 of them name what let go, and it is most often blowout. Carlisle is named more than any other brand.
| What let go | Complaints |
|---|---|
| blowout | 102 |
| tread separation | 97 |
| crack | 15 |
| road hazard | 7 |
| out of round | 6 |
| blister | 4 |
| not stated | 27 |
Where the wheel is named, 99 of 195 were on the front — the end that steers. 7 gave out as a spare, which is the one nobody checks.
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 15-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 245/70R15 | 28.5" +0.8 % | +2.8 mm | 60.5 mph | side by side |
| 215/80R15 | 28.5" +0.9 % | +3.3 mm | 60.5 mph | side by side |
| 235/70R15 | 28.0" -1.2 % | -4.3 mm | 59.3 mph | side by side |
| 205/80R15 | 27.9" -1.3 % | -4.8 mm | 59.2 mph | side by side |
| 205/85R15 | 28.7" +1.5 % | +5.5 mm | 60.9 mph | side by side |
| 215/75R15 | 27.7" -2.1 % | -7.5 mm | 58.7 mph | side by side |
| 235/75R15 | 28.9" +2.1 % | +7.5 mm | 61.3 mph | side by side |
| 245/65R15 | 27.5" -2.6 % | -9.5 mm | 58.4 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Thunderer R601 | 560 | A |
| Sumitomo Touring SUV | 520 | A |
| Comanche RADIAL A/T | 500 | A |
| Comanche RADIAL H/T | 500 | A |
| Nexen ROADIAN AT | 500 | A |
| Cyclone Touring A/S | 440 | A |
| Tribune Classic 787 | 440 | A |
| Yokohama Aegis LS4 | 420 | A |
| Thunderer REAL | 400 | A |
| Yokohama Geolandar H/T | 360 | B |
| Allegiance IV RADIAL A/S | 320 | A |
| Thunderer TG615 75 | 240 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 245/70R15 | 30.2 mph | 50.4 mph | 70.5 mph | 10,077 |
| 215/80R15 | 30.3 mph | 50.5 mph | 70.6 mph | 10,090 |
| 235/70R15 | 29.6 mph | 49.4 mph | 69.2 mph | 9,882 |
| 205/80R15 | 29.6 mph | 49.3 mph | 69.1 mph | 9,868 |
| 205/85R15 | 30.5 mph | 50.8 mph | 71.1 mph | 10,153 |