Skip to content
Sidewall

285/65R23 vs 265/70R23

Going from one to the other changes the overall height by +0.1 %. That is inside the 3% band, so it fits and the speedometer stays close.

185 mm sidewall955 mm · 37.6"
285/65R23
186 mm sidewall955 mm · 37.6"
265/70R23

Side by side


Measure285/65R23265/70R23Change
Overall height37.6"37.6"+0.1 %
Sidewall7.29"7.30"+0.1 %
Section width285 mm265 mm-7.0 %
Circumference118.1"118.1"+0.1 %
Revs per mile537536-0.1 %
Axle height18.79"18.80"+0.3 mm
Approved rim width8–10.5"7.5–9.5"overlap 8–9.5"

Both are approved on a rim 8" to 9.5" wide. If yours is in that band, this is a tire change and nothing else.

What the speedometer will say

Calibrated for 285/65R23. Fit 265/70R23 and the needle stops telling the truth.


Needle saysYou are doingOut by
30 mph30.0 mph+0.0
50 mph50.0 mph+0.0
70 mph70.0 mph+0.0
90 mph90.0 mph+0.0

The odometer drifts with it. Ten thousand miles on the dial are really 10,005 on the road, so it under-counts by 5. At a true 70 mph the first turns 626 times a minute, the second 626.

Everything about 285/65R23 · Everything about 265/70R23