245 vs 255 Tires
What are they? What do they mean for your vehicle? And which one should you be looking at when shopping for new tires? These are just some of the questions we will answer in this blog post. 245 and 255 represent a tire’s cross-section height or how high it sits from the ground. Knowing these measurements can help you make an informed decision about which tire to buy!
245 Tires | 255 Tires |
This Number Indicates That Your Tire Has A Width Of 245 Millimeters. (Tire Width Always Refers To The Measurement From One Sidewall To Another) | This Number Indicates That Your Tire Has A Width Of 255 Millimeters. (Tire Width Always Refers To The Measurement From One Sidewall To Another) |
What Do 245 and 255 Tires Mean?
245 and 255 tires are measurements of a tire’s cross-section height. These two numbers represent the width, in millimeters, of your tire from sidewall to sidewall – where the tread meets the road (see diagram). So if you have 245s on your car right now, that means they’re sitting roughly 9.6 inches off the ground!
255 tires are numbers that represent the width, in millimeters, of your tire from sidewall to sidewall – where the tread meets the road (see diagram). So if you have 255s on your car right now, that means they’re sitting roughly 10 inches off the ground!
So why does this matter? Why should anyone care about this seemingly random number? The answer is simple. This measurement dictates what kind of vehicle can fit with these exact size tires. Some cars will be suitable for only one specific range because their wheel wells may not accommodate wider wheels/tires without rubbing against other vehicle parts.
The 245/255 Tire Selection Guide
Since both numbers are very similar, you have a wide selection to choose from when purchasing new tires for your vehicle! There is still one more thing we need to cover: why would you want either number? Why pay attention to such minutiae in tire measurements? What do 255 offer over 245 (or vice versa)? Here’s what we’ve got so far on our “Tire Selection” guide.
245 Tires
- It can be used with smaller sedans and compact cars like the Subaru BRZ or Mazda MX-six
- Good choice if you’re looking for better fuel economy
- Possible bumpy ride
255 Tires
- It can be used with larger sedans and SUVs
- Good choice if you’re looking for a more aggressive tread or better traction in bad weather conditions like snow and rain.
A lower tire profile means a rougher ride than 245s but not as rough as most truck/SUV tires! (see diagram) These are just some of the differences between these two popular sizes – let us know what we missed by leaving your comment below! And make sure to check out our other blog posts on car maintenance tips, oil change coupons, and new cars at affordable prices!
In this article, we will use two examples, tire P245/75-R16 and P255/70-R16, so that you can understand what it means.
P: The letter on a tire means what kind of tire it is. For this example, P stands for passenger vehicles. You can also see letters like T and LT, which stand for things like trucks and light trucks.
75 or 70: The number after the dash tells you what the tire’s height is. This number refers to how tall a tire’s cross-section is. For example, for this tire P245/75-R16, 75 means that the height equals 75% of the tire’s width.
On the other hand, P255/70-R16 means that the tire’s height is 70% of its width. If you think about this section, the tire will be taller than other tires. The bigger the aspect ratio, the higher the tire sidewall will be.
R: This character means that the construction of the tire is radial. Radial tires are a popular and new type of tire. They have an inner tire that looks like spokes coming out from the center. If there is a D instead of an R, the tire has a bias-ply construction. Belted tires are like D construction, but the plies go in a different direction, and they will be marked with B. In this comparison, both are Radial tires.
Wheel Diameter: The diameter of a wheel is the end-to-end length. It is measured in inches. After “Construction Letter,” these two number means the wheel diameter size. In this case, the tire size of P215/65R16 is 16 inches. This means that it only fits with 16-inch wheels on any car.
We hope this has given you enough information to figure out which size is best suited for your vehicle. If you’re still unsure, we highly recommend visiting your local tire shop and asking them to see which ones fit based on the make/model of your vehicle! Again, we hope this has given you enough information to determine which size is best suited for you.
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