Tire Size Conversion for Trucks
For the sake of convenience, let's say you're looking at truck tires for your Ford F-150 — one of the most popular vehicles in the country. (Keep in mind, this example can work for any light truck or SUV, including a Chevy Silverado or Dodge RAM, Toyota Tacoma or Jeep Wrangler.)
When you’re looking into tire replacement, plus-sizing your tires, or increasing the wheel diameter and tire width while maintaining the same overall tire height as your OE tires, is a very popular option.
And it’s not just because the increased wheel size and shorter sidewall height look sick (although they do). Plus-sized tires provide a wider footprint and less sidewall give, which translates directly into snappier handling and tighter on-road performance.
But, if you’re an avid off-roader, then you might want to consider upsizing your tires without increasing your wheel diameter by too much (if at all). A tire with a wider footprint and bigger sidewalls will provide you with more control in off-road conditions, especially when you want to drop your air pressure and crawl over serious obstacles.
And that taller sidewall will also ensure more ride comfort when taking on gravel roads, dirt roads and unfinished fire roads.
That said, who doesn’t dig the look of a mud tire or an all-terrain on a big set of rims?
Things to note: Running larger tires/wheels can hurt your rig’s performance and fuel efficiency. On a basic level, your engine has to work harder to spin larger wheels and tires, so your vehicle won’t be as fuel-efficient.
And while tires with shorter sidewalls provide snappier handling, they’ll also provide less ride comfort and less noise cancellation.
Finally, when you upsize your tires, you may run into issues with speedometer accuracy. If you follow the plus-sizing formula of increasing the tire width and reducing sidewall height, you can typically maintain the same diameter and avoid impacting the speedometer reading. To make sure you’re getting the right tire size for your vehicle, you can try our tire size calculator.
If you’re planning on plus-sizing, you’ll need a new set of wheels to match your new tires. Luckily for you, we have the largest inventory of both. Plus, with a few handy tools, buying your new tire and wheel package online is a cinch. You can find the perfect tire for your unique driving needs with Treadwell, our tire buying guide. And with our wheel visualizer, you can see which wheels look best on your exact vehicle, including make, model and even OE paint color!
Plus-Zero Sizing
Want to go up in tire size without changing your wheels? No problem! That's where plus-zero sizing comes into play.
Plus zero sizing generally refers to moving up in section width and aspect ratio (tire width and sidewall height) without changing the size of your current wheels.
If you increase your tire's width and sidewall height, the total tire diameter will increase, which can affect the speedometer reading. It's always best to have your speedometer professionally recalibrated after installing larger tires.
Looking for plus-zero tire sizes that provide specific benefits? Check out our lists below to see what tire sizes provide certain benefits!
NARROWER AND TALLER TRUCK TIRE SIZES
For better fuel efficiency:
WIDER AND TALLER TRUCK TIRE SIZES
For better off-roading and performance capability:
- 245/75 R17
- 255/65 R17
- 255/70 R17
- 255/75 R17
- 255/80 R17
- 265/65 R17
- 265/70 R17
- 275/65 R17
- 275/70 R17
- 285/70 R17
Tire Size Comparisons for Cars
When changing up tire sizes on your sedan, compact car or even sports car, there are a couple of things to consider. First, determine what kind of change you're looking for.
Whether you're looking for a softer ride with higher fuel efficiency or more responsive handling with better grip and acceleration, new tires are usually the first place to start if you want to subtly or drastically alter how your car drives.
And if it seems like more and more tire fitment options are being offered on newer vehicles, it's very much by design.
Large wheels on low-profile tires bring out the best in a vehicle's handling ability. But that can take a toll on its ride comfort, fuel efficiency and overall tire longevity.
Using size 215/55 R17 tires as an example, you can see that there are 20 compatible sizes in varying section widths and sidewall heights. If you want to plus zero or minus zero to target certain benefits for your ride, there are plenty of options!
And while you're doing your research, utilize our handy speedometer accuracy calculator. As we mentioned earlier, changing your tire size can impact the reading on your speedometer.
Below are some of the plus zero size options you could go with to target certain performance attributes:
WIDER AND SHORTER TIRE SIZES
Switching from 215/55 R17 for better handling and performance:
- 215/50 R17
- 225/45 R17
- 225/50 R17
- 225/55 R17
- 235/40 R17
- 235/45 R17
- 235/50 R17
- 235/55 R17
- 245/45 R17
- 245/50 R17
- 245/55 R17
- 255/45 R17
- 255/50 R17
NARROWER TIRE SIZES
Switching from 215/55 R17 for better fuel efficiency:
TALLER TIRES
Switching from 215/55 R17 for a more comfortable ride:
And if you want even more drastic changes in driving style, plus-sizing is an option for your car too.
While trucks and SUVs can often go up in wheel size pretty dramatically, most cars can't typically go so extreme. That said, most cars can go up at least one inch in wheel diameter when installing a set of aftermarket rims.
As we discussed earlier, when you go up in wheel size, you open up your tire options quite a bit. Going with a wider, shorter tire will give you more grip and sharper steering control. Want to increase fuel efficiency? Go down in wheel size and opt for a narrower tire.
Still not sure which tire size is the right choice for you? That’s ok! Swing by your nearest store or schedule an appointment and we’ll help you sift through all the choices out there to find the perfect tire size for your driving needs!
Customers who buy and book online save time in-store!