Can I Change the Size of My Tires? (2023)

FAQs

How much can you change tire size? ›

When changing tire sizes, we recommend staying within 3% of the diameter/height of the original tire. Any more than this and you face the risk of brake failure.

Once you choose a tire size for your vehicle, you'll want to stick with that size when you buy replacements. The reason for this is that a differently sized tire can confuse your speedometer and even cause damage to your vehicle's anti-lock braking systems and stability system calibrations.

Despite what your car salesperson may have told you, it's OK to get an 18-inch spare to go with your 19-inch wheels.

Smaller tires can cause inaccurate information from your speedometer and odometer, create transmission shifting issues, cause anti-lock brakes to malfunction, and may even trip your check engine light.

Unfortunately, altering the tire size of a vehicle without thorough and careful consideration is a decision that can really bite. Fitting the wrong tire size can cause damage to a vehicle, and is a real safety hazard as well.

You might get 18″ tires with the same height as the original 16″ tires - but since there is much less sidewall height between road and wheel, they will be more easily damaged by road potholes or other irregularities.

In this example, yes it is possible for a 235 tire to be changed with a 245 tire if your vehicle is suitable for the change. The 245 tire will be slightly larger than the 235 tire and depending on the vehicle, there may not be enough room to safely fit a larger tire.

Yes you could but it would reduce the overall diameter of the wheel and tyre, so the height would be slightly less, as would the tread width.

Yes, you can switch from a 14-inch tire and wheel combo to a 15-inch tire and wheel combo, so long as your new wheel has the same bolt pattern, and you have the space to fit the larger wheel and tire.

Pros of 18-Inch Wheels and Tires

Because 18-inch tires have a larger sidewall, they are typically more flexible than ones with a smaller sidewall. Your tires act as shock absorbers and can provide a greater cushion when going over bumps and potholes.

Can I replace 20 inch wheels with 18 inch? ›

The quickest answer is NO. The 18 and 20 are the wheel diameter measurement. Think of trying to put your finger through a keyhole, your finger is too big. So trying to put an 18″ tire on a 20″ rim won't work either because the wheel is too big.

As a general rule of thumb, it's safe to fit a tire up to 20 millimeters wider than stock on the original rim. The actual width of the tire will vary depending on the width of the rim: The tire will expand 5 millimeters for every half-inch (12.5 millimeters) increase in rim width.

Expert Reply: You can certainly change your trailer tires to a narrower 205mm width as long as your wheels are 6- or 6-1/2-inches in width. These are the only size wheels that can take both 225mm and 205mm tire sizes. Please refer to the linked article on tire sizes.

While it's certainly possible to upgrade your tires' size, it's usually best to stick to your manufacturer-recommended tire size for optimal performance. Increasing the size of your tires may give your car more ground clearance, but it may also affect handling, drivetrain performance and fuel economy.

The short answer: yes. Tires can make a big difference in the number of miles a driver gets to a tank of gas. In fact, 20% to 30% of a vehicle's fuel consumption and 24% of road vehicle CO2 emissions are tire-related.

For optimal safety and performance, Continental recommends fitting the same tires to every wheel position on your car, so drivers should have the same brand, size, tread pattern, load index, and speed rating on the front and rear tires.

When the tire size is different from the factory, a car's alignment will need to be adjusted after a tire change. This is because tires that are wider or taller than original equipment tires stretch the suspension slightly and cause changes in camber and caster angles, as well as toe angles.

Will Smaller Tires Affect My Transmission? Smaller tires can also affect the performance of your vehicle's transmission. The transmission needs a specific circumference. Changing the circumference will change the needed gear ratios inside your transmission or differential.

For example, larger tires decrease your fuel economy because they are heavier, while smaller tires increase fuel efficiency. Bigger tires also have a higher rolling resistance than smaller tires which means they require more resistance and effort to get them rolling.

When you move to a larger wheel diameter (such as from 17 to 18 inches), you need new tires to match. Those tires need a lower profile (or sidewall height) to maintain adequate clearance when they go over bumps and potholes, which makes the suspension fully compress and rebound.

Do bigger rims affect gas mileage? ›

As the size of the rim is increased, it would weigh more, which would mean more energy is needed to overcome the mass to get the car going. If this is done continuously over a certain duration of time, you will see an increase in fuel consumption when compared to using smaller sized rims.

Additionally, up-sizing impacts the speedometer, fuel economy, and can place stress on the powertrain and brakes. If installed incorrectly, up-sized tires may also rub the wheel well, brake calipers, or vehicle frame, and could potentially wear down any parts they grind against.

Expert Reply: You might be able to replace a 235/65-17 with a 245/65-17 tire. The tires you have now, 235/65-17, are about 9.25 inches wide and 29 inches tall. The 245s on the other hand are 9.65 inches wide and 29-1/2 inches tall.

Yes, but the width of the tire will be a bit wider and because the aspect is the same (75), it will also be a bit taller. This assumes the width of the wheel can handle the extra 10MM.

That said, the only dimensions you can change are the width and aspect ratio — never the wheel size, unless you buy replacement wheels — and you should always strive to keep the total height of the tire the same as the OEM. So, if you widen the tire, you may need to decrease the aspect ratio, and vice versa.

7 Answers. 8 people found this helpful. In a word, NO. The vehicle was designed for the 255 width tire, and you will lose serious amounts of highway traction with a tire that is 20 mm narrower.

Width and diameter are the two factors that determine tire and rim compatibility. For diameter you'll need to be sure that your tires and wheels are an exact match, e.g. a 215/65R17 tire will only fit on a 17" diameter wheel. There's a bit more flexibility when it comes to wheel widths.

Yes you can, but the better size would be 185/60 R15 so that the difference in speed between the actual vs speedometer reading is minimized, and the difference between the actual mileage vs the shown mileage is minimized.

Eventually, this could cause premature transmission failure. Larger and heavier rims will also cause the engine to work harder, which could hamper fuel economy and dull acceleration. Larger, heavier wheels could also have a negative effect on other components of the vehicle, such as wheel bearings.

If you are changing rim/alloys to 15 inches than it's fine otherwise you can fit 185/70R14, 195/65R14 and 205/60R14 with the existing rim/alloys.

What size tire gives the smoothest ride? ›

Smaller wheel = smoothest ride quality, low stability, predictable handling, average road noise. Medium wheel = average ride quality, average stability, predictable handling, low road noise.

So, increasing your wheel size will decrease the driving force from your wheels which will culminate in a decrease in acceleration of said wheels. To summarise, a car's engine finds it more difficult to rotate larger wheels, making for a decrease in overall acceleration.

Larger wheel diameters can result in faster and more composed handling; however, it can also result in slower acceleration capability. While there are a few disadvantages for any vehicle when increasing the wheel and/or tire size, curb appeal usually outweighs them.

Larger tires will typically give you better handling and stability, while smaller tires will provide you with improved ride quality and a smoother ride at the expense of some handling.

As long as the overall tire diameter is the same, you won't have to re calibrate anything. If you use the factory size tires for the 18" wheels, you should be fine.

Yes, you may upgrade the tires with wheels from 15 inch to 16 inch at the authorised dealership.

While it's fine to put narrower tyres on the front and wider on the back, it's pointless to put wider tyres on just one side of the car. This would change the weight balance and would mean one side of the vehicle would grip differently to the road when braking. It would change the cornering dynamic, too.

02. Are the 245 tires the same as 275? Both sizes are meant to work the same way. They can fit on similar sizes of rims.

It depends. If the 17 inch wheels have the same diameter as the 19 inch wheels and fit over your brakes and are not much wider or something, it should be easy and not much will change. Problems may arise when wheels with a totally different diameter are installed.

Save this answer. Show activity on this post. Yes it will be completely fine, in fact 205/55/16 are the most common 16" tires.

Can I put 40 in my tires? ›

For instance, if 35 psi is recommended, and the maximum safe pressure listed on your sidewall is 44 psi, you can safely put 38 or 40 psi in your tires. You can even go to 44 psi. You'll experience a harder ride, but you won't create a blowout danger.

It's usually dependent on the vehicle itself and the remaining tread depths on the other tires. It's always best to replace all 4 tires at the same time. This is because all 4 tires spin independently of one another, and different tread depths and/or styles can cause them to spin at different speeds.

As a general rule, you want replacement tires that are within 3 percent of the diameter (height) measurement of your existing tires' diameter — assuming your current tires are what your owner's manual recommends.

Yes, smaller wheels accelerate faster, but it doesn't matter. It all has to do with the rotational moment of inertia. The moment of inertia of an object is simply how easy it is to move the object. The heavier something is, the harder it is to move.

Larger tires and wheels also add weight that could reduce your car's gas mileage.

For optimal safety and performance, Continental recommends fitting the same tires to every wheel position on your car, so drivers should have the same brand, size, tread pattern, load index, and speed rating on the front and rear tires.

It is physically impossible to mount a 17 inch tire on an 18 inch rim.

Yes, but the width of the tire will be a bit wider and because the aspect is the same (75), it will also be a bit taller. This assumes the width of the wheel can handle the extra 10MM. If the original tire is 235/75/15, then the 245 should be OK.

Yes, you can use bigger rims as long as you fit a lower profile tire in order to maintain the original overall wheel diameter.

Will any 17-inch tire fit on a 17-inch rim? ›

For diameter you'll need to be sure that your tires and wheels are an exact match, e.g. a 215/65R17 tire will only fit on a 17" diameter wheel. There's a bit more flexibility when it comes to wheel widths.

You cannot simply go out and put on a larger wheel and tire and expect your car to be the same. Your car is designed to roll on a specific wheel and tire size. Changes to either may start a cascade of handling and mechanical issues if you don't plan carefully.

Additionally, up-sizing impacts the speedometer, fuel economy, and can place stress on the powertrain and brakes. If installed incorrectly, up-sized tires may also rub the wheel well, brake calipers, or vehicle frame, and could potentially wear down any parts they grind against.

As a general rule, bigger wheels result in a rougher ride. Switching to a smaller wheel and a thicker tire can give you a smoother ride without any major modifications to your car. However, if you go too crazy and change your wheel size too much, it can cause some problems.

In a word, NO. The vehicle was designed for the 255 width tire, and you will lose serious amounts of highway traction with a tire that is 20 mm narrower.

As a general rule of thumb, it's safe to fit a tire up to 20 millimeters wider than stock on the original rim. The actual width of the tire will vary depending on the width of the rim: The tire will expand 5 millimeters for every half-inch (12.5 millimeters) increase in rim width.

Up-sizing, or installing a taller tire, will lead to a speedometer reading that is slower than your actual speed. This is because a taller tire will have a larger overall circumference, causing it to need to travel more distance per revolution than the original equipment tire.

Larger wheels offer better traction, and because they have more rubber on the tire, this also means a better grip on the road. Larger tires are better for car cornering and handling than your regular tires. They also reduce the braking distance and improve braking overall, adding to safety.