# Tire/Rim Size **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [December 21, 2008, 1:21am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tire-rim-size/23675 "2008-12-21T01:21:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rmowens56](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ea924/32.png) [@rmowens56](https://community.cartalk.com/u/rmowens56)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 1:21am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tire-rim-size/23675/1 "2008-12-21T01:21:51Z")
Can 17 inch tires be safely put on 16 inch wheels? ---
**Author:** ![BustedKnuckles](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bustedknuckles/32/25_2.png) [@BustedKnuckles](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BustedKnuckles)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 1:43am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tire-rim-size/23675/2 "2008-12-21T01:43:20Z")
NO!!! The tire bead will not seat. Is this a joke? Jay Leno, is that you trying to shake things up? ---
**Author:** ![rmowens56](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ea924/32.png) [@rmowens56](https://community.cartalk.com/u/rmowens56)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 1:52am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tire-rim-size/23675/3 "2008-12-21T01:52:49Z")
Unfortunately, it’s no joke. I was out of town and sent my wife to Discount Tire America to purchase new tires. I had ordered the OEM (205/65/16, straight off the tire) online. The fools at the store told her that the tire sizing was wrong and put 215/55/17 on the car. ---
**Author:** ![ebko87](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ec8ea/32.png) [@ebko87](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ebko87)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 2:33am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tire-rim-size/23675/4 "2008-12-21T02:33:46Z")
I can’t imagine anyone having experience mounting tires, not noticing this. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 2:47am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tire-rim-size/23675/5 "2008-12-21T02:47:59Z")
If 17" tires were put on …then the car has 17" rims… ---
**Author:** ![rmowens56](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ea924/32.png) [@rmowens56](https://community.cartalk.com/u/rmowens56)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 4:38am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tire-rim-size/23675/6 "2008-12-21T04:38:19Z")
Tires taken off were 205/65/16. They would not have fit on 17 inch rims. The current tires seated but do not fit correctly on the rims. ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 6:11am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tire-rim-size/23675/7 "2008-12-21T06:11:53Z")
There’s no way the 17inch tires are “seated” on your 16 inch wheels, no matter what it looks like. DO NOT drive this vehicle! You are risking catastrophe if you do. Have this vehicle transported back to the tire shop and have the correct size tires installed. ---
**Author:** ![CapriRacer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/capriracer/32/22_2.png) [@CapriRacer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/CapriRacer)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 12:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tire-rim-size/23675/8 "2008-12-21T12:18:29Z")
There is some tidbit of information missing here. It’s possible the OE trim size was 16" (Tire size = 205/65R16), while the vehicle currently has 17" rims. I just can’t imagine why a tire store would mount a 215/55R17 on a 16" rim, particularly when the original tire size was ordered. While a 205/65R16 isn’t the world’s most popular tire, a 215/55R17 is less so. Something is missing! ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 2:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tire-rim-size/23675/9 "2008-12-21T14:10:04Z")
NO… ---
**Author:** ![Pontiacura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pontiacura](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Pontiacura)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 2:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tire-rim-size/23675/10 "2008-12-22T14:54:25Z")
Well I don’t know how experienced they were but a colleague of mine had a similar problem when he took his car in to get new tires. An hour(!!) after they pulled his car 'round back they came back and told him they had a tough time trying to mount the tires they pulled from stock (they were trying to put 14" tires on his 15" wheels). They eventually figured out he needed 15"s.