Tyre sizes·205/55R16
205/55R16
Overall diameter 631.9 mm

205/55R16 — 631.9 mm tall, and what it swaps with

205/55R16 is 205 mm wide with a 55% sidewall on a 16-inch wheel. That sidewall is 112.75 mm, so the tyre stands 631.9 mm tall and turns 503.7 times per kilometre.

Section width
205 mm
Aspect ratio
55 %
Wheel size
16 in (406.4 mm)
Sidewall height
112.75 mm
Overall diameter
631.9 mm (24.88 in)
Circumference
1985.2 mm
Turns per km
503.7

Sizes you can swap to

Only sizes whose overall diameter stays within 3% are listed. A different diameter covers a different distance per turn, and that gap becomes speedometer error.

Same profile, different width

Other sizes for this wheel

How the code reads

The 205 is millimetres, the 55 is a percentage of that width, and only the 16 is inches. The R stands for radial construction.

How to read this

  • The first three digits are the width in mm, the middle two are the aspect ratio in percent, the last two the wheel in inches.
  • Sidewall height = width × aspect ÷ 100. For 205/55 that is 112.75 mm.
  • Overall diameter = wheel diameter + twice the sidewall. A 16-inch wheel is 406.4 mm.
  • Once the diameter shifts by more than 3%, the speedometer and odometer drift by the same amount.

Frequently asked questions

Q. What is the overall diameter of 205/55R16?

631.9 mm — the 406.4 mm wheel plus the 112.75 mm sidewall at top and bottom.

Q. How many turns per kilometre does 205/55R16 make?

Its circumference is 1985.2 mm, so 503.7 turns.

Q. What can I swap it for?

12 sizes stay within 3% of its diameter — the closest is 225/50R16 at 631.4 mm.

Q. Why is the sidewall 112.75 mm?

Because it is 55% of the 205 mm width. The aspect ratio is a proportion of the width, not a length.