tire size difference

[ted moore]

how much difference is there between a 255/70/16 and a 255/65/16.



i've been looking at the 255/65/16's in place of my stock 255/70/16's and i want to know what effect it will have at all on my 03 4X4 sport trac, if any at all.



thanks for the help.

 

[Dennis Mouser]

the 255/65 is a little wider than a 255/70......the middle # refers to the width of the tire

 

[Travis Munday]

Dennis, that is incorrect.



The first number is the width of the tire, in millimeters.



The second number is the sidewall height, expressed in a percentage of the width.



The last number is the wheel size the tire is made for.



A 255/65 will be slightly smaller in diameter then a 255/70. The difference is 12.75 mm, or little more then half an inch, which won't cause any problems at all. Your speedo will be ever so slightly off, but not really enough to make a difference. As long as you replace all four tires with that same size, you'll be fine.

 

[Jake Levin]

Dennis, I think you have that backwards.. The first number refers to the width of a tire and the second number refers to the height of the tire based on the width. The smaller the second number, the smaller the profile of the tire.



Ted, the 255/65/16s will be slightly shorter then the 255/70/16s. the first numer is in millimeters, 255 is abour 10.2 inches wide. The second number is the height based on percentage of width. the 65 is about 6.6 inches tall where as the 70 is 7.14 inches tall.



HTH

Jake



[edit] Darn, Tiger you beat me to it!!!

 

[ted moore]

thank you all for your help! much appreciated!

 

[Yardsale]

Just a clarification - the first number is the section width, not tread width.

 

[ted moore]

do u think 255/65/16 will look too small on my truck?

 

[shawn stonbraker 2]

I have pics of 245/75's on mine and they are basicaly the same height as 265/70's. It's stock height ST also.

 

[Gary Cotton]

Go to this site and enter your stock and alternate tire dimensions. It will tell you all you need to know. http://www.csgnetwork.com/tireinfo4calc.html



Gary

 

[Johnny O]

do u think 255/65/16 will look too small on my truck?

Yes. There's a bunch of fenderwell gap already. You could look for something like a 265/65 or 275/65, if such an animal exists, should get you close to the stock diameter. A 255/65 will be the same width as your stock tires but it will be shorter. Regardless, look for something with about a 30"-31" diameter so it looks right.

 

[Yardsale]

'01 Job1 4WD.



I have 265/65-17 Revos on 8" rims. They are about 30.5" in diameter and fill the wheel well nicely and have less side wall flex (less side wall to flex). A bit taller and heavier and I feel the reduced acceleration (going to regear to 4.10).