Buying new tires for your car can be a daunting experience. Car’s manufacturer give recommendations on the tire’s diameter and rims, and it is easy to be confused when choosing the tires. If you have 15” rims on your car, you might be wondering if you can put 17” tires on them.
So, can I put 17” tires on 15” rims? You cannot put 17” tires on 15” rims because they are too big. The 17” tires will be too big on the 15” rims to fit properly, hence you cannot fill them with air. When you check the rim, it usually has numbers that specify which tires will fit properly. In the case of a 15” inch rim, the number might read 15 by 6 by 4.5, meaning the rim will accommodate most 15” tires.
Rims come in different sizes, and it is important to get a tire that properly fits the rim. If you do not put the correct tire on your rims, your car might not perform well on the road.
Rims play an important role in your car, supporting and sealing the tire to the wheel, and it also makes your car look good. When selecting new tires for your car, you have to consider the size of the rims on your car. If the rims on your car are 15” and you want to use 17” tires, you might be wondering if it is possible to put the 17” tires on the 15” rims.
You cannot put 17” tires on 15” inch rims because they are too big to fit properly on the 15” rims. 15” rims require a 15” tire to work properly. The 17” tire has a bigger diameter than a 15” rim, hence it will be difficult to make it fit properly on the rim and fill it with air.
A 17” tire on a 15” rim will also pose a danger to your and other road users because it will negatively influence your car’s performance. When selecting the tire size for the rim of your car, you should stick to your car manufacturer’s recommendation. You can also speak to a tire expert if you are unsure which tire size to get for your 15” rims.
Most rims come with three common sizes written on the backside of the hub. These three sizes will determine which tires you can fit properly on the rim. For example, a 15” rim might have the size 15 by 6 by 4.5 written on its backside. If you want a tire that fits properly with this rim, you have to get a tire that matches those sizes.
The 15” is the diameter of the rim and you need to get a tire with a 15” diameter to fit properly. If you get a tire with a 17” diameter, there will be a lot of space between the tire and rim. Air will find space to escape making the rim and tire useless on your car.
To know if the tire you want to buy will fit on the rim of your car, first measure the rim if there are no size specifications written on the side. Measure the diameter, width and offset and check if the tires you have selected fit those sizes.
Check the tire codes on the tires you want to buy if they are appropriate for the rim and your type of driving. You should also check the tire’s width because tires of the same diameter might have different widths. The tire might not fit on the rim because they have different widths, even if they have the same diameter.
Can Put 16 Inch Tires on 15 Rims?
Most drivers, especially new and inexperienced drivers, pay little attention to the sizes of their wheels and tires. Most of them will buy tires based on how it makes their car look rather than how it performs. Paying attention to size is very important when you are shopping for new tires.
You cannot put a 16” tire on a 15” rim because it is too big for the rim, hence it will not fit properly. There will be space between the rim and the tire, making it difficult to retain air pressure. It is crucial that you drive your car with tires that fit correctly to the rims.
Driving a car with 16” tires on 15” rims is quite impossible, and if you manage to fit the tire and rim, it will be unsafe for you and other road users if you drive that car. You should only use 15” tires on your 15” rims and ensure you read the size written on the side of the tires and rims to pick the correct tire.
You need to mount the correct tire to a particular rim size, and most tire and rim manufacturers go a step further to include the sizes on the tires and rims. When you purchase a new tire or rim, some specific numbers and letters will be written on the side.
Those numbers might be random and meaningless to some, but to most drivers, these numbers help them decide if the tire or rim is the correct size for their car. If you have 15” rims on your car, you need to buy tires with a 15” diameter. Check the side of the tire and take note of the numbers. The tire diameter on the wheel is represented by “15,” meaning it is meant for a rim with a 15” diameter.
If you do not know how to read tire size, here is how you do it. First, look at the side of the tire to identify where the manufacturer has written the sizes. For example, the tire will have “P 215 65 R 15 95 H” written on the side. The “P” means that the tire is meant for a passenger vehicle. “215” is the tire’s width, and it is in millimeters meaning this tire is 215 millimeters wide.
“65” refers to the aspect ratio of the car, meaning this tire’s height is equal to 65% of the tire’s width. “R” means the layers on the tire run radially across the tire. “15” is the wheel diameter of the tire.” “95” refers to the load index meaning the tire can sustain a maximum weight of 1521 pounds. “H” refers to the tire’s speed rating meaning this tire can safely travel at a top speed of 130 mph for a sustained amount of time.
Can You Put 14 Inch Tires on 15 Inch Rims?
When you are shopping for new tires for your car, there are many things you need to consider before making a final decision. If you buy the incorrect tires, you might incur more expenses fixing your car and buying new tires. If you have 15” rims on your car, you might be wondering if you can put 14” tires on them.
You cannot put 14” tires on 15” rims because they are too small, and it is even physically impossible to fit a 14” tire on a 15” rim. You can only use 15” tires on 15” inch rims. Suppose you want to use 14” tires on your car. In that case, you have to remove the 15” rims and install 14” rims if possible.
Fitting a 15” tire on a 15” rim requires a lot of energy and skills, hence might take some time for an inexperienced driver or mechanic. Trying to fit a 14” tire to a 15” rim is impossible because you cannot stretch the diameter of a tire.
Tire size does matter, and car manufacturers always recommend you use a particular tire on your vehicle. Some drivers alter the size of the tires recommended by using bigger tires to get more grip on the road.
If you have 15” rims and want to put 14” tires on them, it means you will reduce the surface area the tires take, hence less grip. However, putting the 14” tires on the 15” rims is impossible. If you want to reduce the tire size on your car, you have to remove the 15” rims and replace them with 14” rims.
When you reduce the size of the car’s tires, its performance on the road will slightly change. Smaller tires mean less grip; hence you might struggle to handle your car when making turns at high speeds.
The only advantage of reducing the size of your car’s tire is smaller bills. The bigger the wheels on a car, the higher the bills. Small tires are cheaper than big tires, hence when you replace 15” tires with 14” tires, your budget on tires might slightly reduce.
You should also avoid changing the size of your tires frequently because it affects your car’s speedometer. The speedometer counts how fast the car is traveling by measuring the rotations of your car’s tires. If the car had 15” tires, the number on the speedometer would be based on the rotations of 15” tires.
When you change the size of tires to 14”, the speedometer will have to readjust to the new tires, which might lead to having incorrect reading on the speedometer. Downsizing or installing shorter tires causes the speedometer to read at a faster speed than you are driving.
Can You Put any 15 Inch Tire on a 15 Inch Rim?
Having the best tires on your car ensures your safety, reduces suspension damage, and improves the car’s performance. Therefore, when choosing new tires for your car, you have to be very careful. If you have 15” rims on your vehicle, you might be wondering if you can put a 15” tire on it.
You cannot put just any 15” tire on a 15” rim because you must consider other measurements and factors before choosing a tire. Another important measurement requirement is width, meaning 15” tires cannot fit properly on a 15” rim if they are too wide or narrow.
Manufacturers usually include numbers and other classifications that should match a vehicle’s rim on every new tire. The rim must meet all the minimum requirements or the wheel might malfunction once you start driving your vehicle.
When you have 15” rims on your vehicle, you have to pay close attention to the numbers and letters written on the side of the tires you want to buy. Just because the tire and rim have the same diameter does not mean that they will fit properly. For example, the tire size for a 15” rim is usually written as “P 215 65 R 15 89 H”.
Before you pay for the tire, you need to confirm if the rim matches some of the other sizes. “215” is the width of the tire, and it can only fit on a rim with a “215” width. Most rims do not have their width measurement written on them; therefore, you must measure the rim yourself. The measurement is in millimeters; therefore, when you measure the rim, ensure you use millimeters, or you might buy the wrong tire.
You need to measure the width of your rims to avoid getting a too narrow or too wide tire. If the 15” tire is too narrow or wide, it will be difficult to maintain proper tire pressure. If you are not sure how to select the best tire for your vehicle, you can ask for help from tire experts.
If possible, drive the car to their auto shop, and they will direct you on the best tire for the 15” rims. You can also read your owner’s manual to check the tire recommendations from the manufacturer.
| Tire Size | 15 Inch Rim |
| 14 Inch | Tire too small to fit |
| 15 Inch | Only 15 inch rims of same width as tire |
| 16 Inch | Tire too big for rim |
| 17 Inch | Tire too big for rim |
Finally
When replacing tires on your car, you need to consider several things, and tire manufacturers have made it simple by writing the measurements on the side of every tire. These numbers and letters tell you the tire type, width, aspect ratio, construction type, tire diameter, load index, and speed rating.
Once you understand how to read the “Tire Language,” choosing the best tires for your car’s rims will be easy. The diameter and width of a tire are very important because they show if the tire will fit on the rim. Ensure that the diameter and width of the tire are the same as those of a rim for them to fit perfectly.
