Tyre sizes·215/55R16
215/55R16
Overall diameter 642.9 mm

215/55R16 — 642.9 mm tall, and what it swaps with

215/55R16 is 215 mm wide with a 55% sidewall on a 16-inch wheel. That sidewall is 118.25 mm, so the tyre stands 642.9 mm tall and turns 495.1 times per kilometre.

Section width
215 mm
Aspect ratio
55 %
Wheel size
16 in (406.4 mm)
Sidewall height
118.25 mm
Overall diameter
642.9 mm (25.31 in)
Circumference
2019.7 mm
Turns per km
495.1

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 215/55R16?

642.9 mm — the 406.4 mm wheel plus the 118.25 mm sidewall at top and bottom.

Q. How many turns per kilometre does 215/55R16 make?

Its circumference is 2019.7 mm, so 495.1 turns.

Q. What can I swap it for?

12 sizes stay within 3% of its diameter — the closest is 205/70R14 at 642.6 mm.

Q. Why is the sidewall 118.25 mm?

Because it is 55% of the 215 mm width. The aspect ratio is a proportion of the width, not a length.