205/55R17 Tires & Tire Size

205/55R17 refers to the size of the tire. It’s a standard which is used by car and tire manufacturers. By having the standard, tire manufacturers are able to manufacture same size tires independently and users can buy same size tires from different manufacturers.

Here’s an explanation of what these metrics mean in practice:


205

The tire width is 205mm.

55

The aspect ratio of the tire is 55. Aspect ratio refers to the height of tire sidewall in relation to tire width in percentages.

R

The letter in the middle refers to tire construction. Practically all tires sold for cars are radials.

Sometimes you also see tires with RF or ZR. RF indicates the tire is run flat, whereas ZR means the tire has speed rating higher than V. These tires are also radials, as the R indicates.


17

Rim diameter for the tire. 205/55R17 tire can be mounted only to a 17″ rims.

What is 205/55R17 tire size in inches?

Because the width of 205/55R17 tire is stated in millimeters and sidewall height in percentages, you have to make calculations to see what the true size of 205/55R17 is in inches. Luckily, we have made these calculations for you.In this table you can see size of 205/55R17 in inches, as well as few additional metrics:

 

In inchesIn millimeters

Section Width

8.1″205mm

Sidewall height

4.4″113mm

Diameter / Height

25.9″657mm

Circumference

81.3″2065mm

Rim Diameter

 17″ 

Revolutions

 779 per mile 484 per kilometer

Recommended Rim Sizes for 205/55R17 Tires

For 205/55R17 tires you need to have correct size rims to install the tires to. There are different width rims available in the market, and you can run into problems by installing 205/55R17 to a too wide or too narrow rim. Here are the recommended rim sizes for 205/55R17 tire:

DiameterWidth Range
17″5.5-7.5″

205/55R17 – Variations

When you look at the tire code on 205/55R17 tires, you may see there are additional numbers and letters after the code 205/55R17. These numbers and letters refer to speed rating and load index of the tire. 205/55R17 has at least following variations available on the markets: