Are you feeling confused between 215 55r16 vs 215 60r16 tire size due to their similar size and features? Do not worry about it anymore, as we are going to explain the differences that will help you to decide which one is perfect for you.
It is a critical matter due to their similar sizes and some other factors. 215 60r16 is a larger tire than 215 55r16, but the width is the same. Accordingly, the circumference is higher for 215 60r16 tires, and even the sidewall is higher. But compared to 215 60r16, the 215 55r16 tires have more revolutions per mile. So, these factors will help you a bit to differentiate between these tires.
Now we will move on to find the difference between 215 55r16 and 215 60r16 tires, where you can pick the right one for your vehicle. So, let’s have a detailed feature identification between these tires.
What is the core difference between 215 55r16 vs 215 60r16?
Here we are going to mention the core difference between these identical tires those suits cars and smaller SUVs. In the below chart, we have put all the information that will identically show the difference.
| Features | 215 55r16 | 215 60r16 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tire Size | 25.31 inches | 26.16 inches | 0.85 inches |
| Rim Diameter | 25.3 inches | 26.1 inches | 0.8 inches |
| Section Width | 8.46 inches | 8.46 inches | 0.0 inches |
| Sidewall height | 4.6 inches | 5.1 inches | 0.5 inches |
| Overall Diameter | 25.3 inches | 26.1 inches | 0.8 inches |
| Rim Width | 215 mm | 215 mm | same |
| Revolution per Mile | 798 | 773 | 25 |
| Circumference | 79.4 inches | 82 inches | 2.6 inches |
| Load Capacity 6- ply tire | 1433 lbs | 1521 lbs | 215 60r16 tire can carry more load |
| Speed Rating | 113 mph/ per mile | 118 mph/ per mile | 215 60r16 tire has more mph speed rating |
| Treadwear Rating | General | Goodyear Assurance | 215 60r16 tire has better rating |
| Traction Score | A | AA | 215 60r16 tire has better traction score |
| TemperatureScore | 16 | 18 | 215 60r16 tire has more temperature score |
| Maximum Pressure | 36 psi | 35 psi | 215 55r16 tire has more air pressure |
| Flat Road & Highway | Good | Good | Both performs well |
| Offroad | Average | Good | 215 55r16 tire performs better |
Here we will explain each of the above categories for your easy understanding.
Tire Size
- Different types of tire is used on different purpose
- Larger tire is used as rear tire to give better performance
- Smaller size tire is good for cruising and is friendly as front wheel
- Larger tires give extra load capacity too.
Generally, 215 55r16 and 215 60r16 tires seem to be the same, but the fact is that the tire size is different. 215 55r16 tire size is 25.31 inches and 215 60r16 tire size is 26.16 inches, here the difference is 0.85 inches.
Rim Diameter
- 215 55r16 and 215 60r16 are perfect for 16 inches rim size
- 16 inches rim diameter suits Car and SUV vehicles
- These are perfect for better weight balancing
- 16 inches rim is suitable for small size vehicles
- Better cruising and driving experience
The 215 55r16 and 215 60r16 tires are mostly similar in size, and the rim diameter is the same but the difference is in higher sidewalls.
Tire Section Width
- Wider tire section give better grip on road
- It helps to align the tires with front and rear wheel
- Easily distributes load on both tires
- Helps vehicle to cruise on road
Here we can see that 215 55r16 and 215 60r16 tires have the same size of tire section width of 8.46 inches. So, we can easily notice that due to the same size we can alternately use these both tires on our car. There is no difference in the tire section width.
Sidewall Height
- Higher sidewall give better protection to tire
- Get more absorbing power with sidewall
- Give an elegant look with higher sidewall
- Performs better on off road
- Less scope for tire punctures
In the case of 215 55r16 and 215 60r16 tires, the sidewall heights are not the same. 215 55r16 tire sidewall is 4.6 inches high and 215 60r16 tire sidewall is 5.1 inches high, here the difference is 0.5 inches. So, 215 60r16 gives better off road drive experience with these types of higher wall.
Overall Diameter
- Larger tires can carry more load
- Bigger tires are perfect for cars rear tire or SUV
- Smaller tires are good as the front wheel of car
- Bigger tires have better traction
If we see closely then we will find that the 215 60r16 tire diameter is bigger, it is 26.1 inches that makes a bigger tire, whereas 215 55r16 tire is 25.3 inches and we can get the benefit of a larger one. The difference between these two tires are 0.8 inches
Rim Width
- 215mm rim is perfect for Car and SUV
- These size rim is suitable for increase driving capacity
- Vehicles get better balancing
- Also keeps car weight in correct shape when the tire punctures
In the case of both 215 55r16 and 215 60r16 tires we will find that the rim width is the same, 215 mm. Here we can keep our tire size similar to keep the best suits here, it helps us to get a smooth driving experience.
Revolution per mile
- 215 55r16 tire gives more revolution per mile
- 215 55r16 is a small size tire
- 215 60r16 tire revolution is 773 per mile
- It is better to use tire with more revolution in front wheel
- For rear wheel we can use tire with less revolution
We can also calculate tire revolution by their numbers, here came to know about two tires 215 55r16 and 215 60r16. So, now we can use the right tire here.
Circumference
- Circumference is the external size of tires
- 215 55r16 tire circumference is 79.4 inches.
- 215 60r16 tire circumference is 82 inches.
- With less circumference we can better cruise with front wheel
Based on the tire size the circumference also increases and decreases. So, we should use a less circumference tire on the front wheel and a larger tire on the rear wheel.
Load Capacity
- Tire load capacity keeps the whole load of vehicles, people and goods.
- Front wheels require less load capacity
- Rear wheels need to be larger and with better load capacity
- 215 55r16 tires have 1433 lbs load capacity.
- 215 60r16 tires have 1521 lbs load capacity.
Multiple size tires have different weight and load capacity, but we have to choose the right tire wisely. Here we have seen that two tires like 215 55r16 and 215 60r16 have different types of capacity.
Speed Rating
- Logically larger tires have better speed rating
- 215 55r16 tire has speed rating of 113 mph
- 215 60r16 tire has speed rating of 118 mph
- We can use preferred size based on our touring requirement
215 55r16 and 215 60r16 tires have different types of speed rating, so we can choose the proper size.
Treadwear Rating
- Treadwear rating help us to find tires with good performance
- Proven performance give tires rating and we can get a better one
- Treadwear rating gives at a glance idea about tire performance
If we compare both 215 55r16 and 215 60r16 tires then we will see that 215 60r16 tires have better ratings. As this tire has Goodyear Assurance, that gives us a better idea about the quality and rating.
Traction Score
- 215 55r16 tire has Traction Score-A that makes it a good tire for front wheel
- 215 60r16 tire has Traction Score-AA that makes it perfect for rear wheel
- Better Traction score gives us better traction from the tire, we have to decide the requirement
215 55r16 and 215 60r16 tires have different traction scores. Compared to these two tires, 215 60r16 tires have an AA score, which makes it a better tire for traction.
Temperature Score
- Tires with better temperature score gives more mileage
- In summer based countries, tires with temperature score give longer service
- Tires indicated with Temperature score will help to find the right one
Based on the make of 215 55r16 and 215 60r16 tires we can see that the 215 60r16 tire has better temperature absorbing capacity and it is chosen for the purpose. Due to size and make, 215 60r16 is a perfect choice for better temperature absorbing power.
Maximum pressure
- With higher pressure, tires keep vehicle lighter
- 215 55r16 tire is lighter than 215 60r16 tire
- For better mobility we use lighter tires on the front wheel.
All tires have pressure capacity, here 215 55r16 and 215 60r16 tires have individual pressure capacity too. To tell precisely based on size and make, it differs.
Flat Road & Highway Performance
- These tires are good for cruising on highway
- You will have comfortable ride on flat road
- 215 55r16 and 215 60r16 tires have better and smooth feel on road
Tires are chosen for its performance. If we look at the flat road and highway performance we will see that the both 215 55r16 and 215 60r16 tires have good performance.
Off Road Performance
- 215 55r16 and 215 60r16 tires are made for cars and SUVs
- On Off Road 215 60r16 tire give better performance
- 215 60r16 tire give more grip on mountain areas
In a few cases there could be offroad drives. If we want to know about the offroad performance then we will find that the 215 60r16 gives better performance on off road.
According to the above mentioned discussion, we now know the core differences between two types of tire. 215 55r16 and 215 60r16 are similar due to their sizes and use, but there are a lot of differences we have seen in the above discussion. So, you can now choose any of these for your regular use.
What Is 215 55r16 In Inches?
We are talking about 215 55r16 tires, but do we know about the meaning of this code? Let me clear it for you, then you can easily understand it. 215 means the width of tire is 215 mm or 8.5 inches.55mm is the tire wall height and with a “R”, it means for radial tire. And the 16 means the rim diameter is 16 inches.
So, as per the above explanation we can now understand that a 215 55r16 model code identifies the tire size, type and other dimensions.
What does 215 60r16 In Inches?
Similarly, when we want to know about 215 60r16 tires, but do we know about the meaning of this code? Still confused? I will tell you as you can easily understand it. 215 means the width of the tire is 215 mm or 8.5 inches. 60mm is the tire wall height and with a “R”, it means for radial tire. And the 16 means the rim diameter is 16 inches.
Now, you know about 215 60r16 model code that identifies the tire size, type and other dimensions, that gives us a clear idea and we can choose the right one.
So, as per code difference between 205/55r16 and 215/55r16 says that one is a 205mm wide tire and the other one is a 215mm tire. Similarly, it will happen with both 215/55r16 vs 225/55r16 tire size.
215 55r16 vs 215 60r16 Tire Size – Expert Opinion
After a detailed discussion about 215 55r16 vs 215 60r16 we can now tell which one is perfect for us. These tires are very common for our Car and SUV, but if we use the wrong one at the wrong place we will lose both money and compromise tire life. 215 55r16 tires are perfect for the front wheel of your vehicle. It is perfect for cruising and longer use. It will give great maneuver with your vehicle.
On the other hand, 215 60r16 is good for the rear wheel, from the load to giving extra power to the vehicle it plays a good role. So, if we use 215 60r16 here, we can rely on this tire for better performance and avoid puncture issues. Similarly, we can use 215/55r16 vs 215/65r16 too here.
You can ask, can I use 215/55r16 instead of 205/60r16? The straight answer is yes, you can.
Also Read: 205 55r16 vs 215 55r16 Tire Size – Perfect Comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Now we will discuss some commonly asked questions to clear your confusion, also these will give you a better idea about using two tires.
Can I Use 215 60R16 Instead Of 215 55R16?
Yes, we can use a 215 60r16 tire instead of 215 55r16 tire, they are mostly similar but 215 60r16 tires are a bit larger and have higher sidewalls. For an SUV it is perfect and for cars we have to use it on the rear wheel.
Are 55 And 60 Tires Interchangeable?
Yes, we can interchange the 55 and 60 tires. Most of the size and measurement is same here, but only the tire size and the sidewall is a bit larger. So, if we need to, we can use a 60 tire instead of a 55 one.
Why Can You Only Go 55 On A Spare Tire?
The 55 tire is better as a front wheel, but we can use it as a rear tire too. So, a 55 tire takes less place in a vehicle trunk, also it performs mostly the same as a 60 tire.
Final Words
We have made a detailed discussion on 215 55r16 vs 215 60r16 tire size and now you have enough information to identify these tires easily. You can get the right one for your vehicle now and you can enjoy your ride smoothly.
