265/70R17 Vs 275/70R17 Size Tire: What Is The Difference?
What is the big difference between 265 70R17 and 275 70R17? But wait, do you even know what these combinations of digits and letters represent? These combinations are tire size indexes, used to give ideas about several factors about the tire.
It is quite normal that a few people know about the tire size index yet almost everyone knows about tire brands. Knowing good tire brands is good, but it is not better than knowing the tire size index. Because you will instantly have an idea about the compatibility of the tire with your vehicle just by looking at it.
In today’s article, we are going to present the difference between 265 70R17 and 275 70R17 in a clever way so that you can understand what the tire size index is.
Find Out How 265/70R17 and 275/70R17 Differ Considering 4 Aspects
Why are we going to break down the difference into 4 aspects? Because when you break down the tire size index, you get to know 4 characteristics of the tire. Let’s say, the tire size index 265 70R17 is fragmented, then we get this 4 information –
- 265 stands for – Tire width in meters
- 70 stands for – The aspect ratio of height/width
- R stands for – Construction type
- 17 stands for – Rim diameter in inches
Width
Width is the first digit of the tire size index. As you can see the first number of one tire is 265 and the other is 275. This means that the width of the tire 265/70R17 is 265 millimeters and the tire 275/70R17 is 275 millimeters. So the difference in their width is 275 – 265 = 10 millimeters. Here, the width is the big difference between 265/70R17 vs 275/70R17.
To get the width, they measure from one sidewall to the other sidewall and it is expressed in millimeters. Tire manufacturers are very careful when measuring width, making it 100% accurate. So, there is no need to doubt the width of the tire by looking at the digit on the tire size index.
Aspect Ratio
As there is a difference in the width of these two tires, considering the difference in other aspects is not really necessary. But, we will still show you. That brings us to compare the aspect ratio of 265/70R17 and 275/70R17.
The aspect ratio is the second digit in the tire size index and both of these tires have the same second digit, which is 70. As the aspect ratio is measured in percent, it shows the height of both tires is 70% of the width. In order to find the aspect ratio, you have to divide the height of the tire by the width. Then, multiply the result with 100 like below –
Aspect Ratio of Tire = Height/Width x 100%
Construction Type
Both tires have Radial Construction in terms of construction type. We found it by looking at the third letter in the tire size indexes of the tires. Both 265 70R17 and 275 70R17 have the same letter ‘R’. It suggests both tires are of radial types. Such tires have a sophisticated construction with square footprints on the top.
Another letter ‘B’ can be often seen in the tire size index. It indicates the tire is a bias ply type, having a different construction type than the radial type tires. The bias ply or cross ply tires are better for driving off roads.
Rim Diameter
The last aspect to differentiate between the tires 265/70R17 and 275/70R17 is the rim diameter. Since the rim diameter is expressed in inches, both 265/70R17 and 275/70R17 have a rim diameter of 17 inches. But how did we find out?
We looked at the very last digit of the tire size index to find rim diameter. Measuring from one open bead to the exact opposite one will get you the rim diameter of the tire. This also suggests you can install any of these two tires for a 17-inch wheel.
Wrapping Up with a Back to Back Comparison Between 265/70R17 and 275/70R17
After reading the descriptive comparison of 265 70R17 vs 275 70R17, you might be wondering if there is only a difference in the width. But when you look at the following comparison chart, you will think differently.
| Parameter | 265 70R17 | 275 70R17 | Difference |
| Section width | 10.4 inch | 10.8 inch | +0.4 inch (+3.8%) |
| Overall diameter | 31.6 inch | 32.2 inch | +0.6 inch (+1.7%) |
| Circumference | 99.3 inch | 101 inch | +1.7 inch (+1.7%) |
| Revs per km | 638.1 | 627.2 | -10.9 (-1.7%) |
| Sidewall height | 7.3 inch | 7.6 inch | +0.3 inch (+3.8%) |
| Aspect Ratio | 70 | 70 | 0 (0%) |
As you can see from the comparison table 265 70R17 vs 275 70R17, there is a lot of difference in all aspects. For this reason, there is a change in the ground clearance of 0.3 inches and 1.7% diameter, which is less than 3%. So changing tires 265 70R17 to 275 70R17, won’t be a problem.
To find the difference between 265 70R17 and 275 70R17 in terms of front and sideways, take a look at these pictures –
 |  |
Final Verdict
There! Now you know what the tire size index represents by learning the difference between 265/70R17 and 275/70R17 tires. Although the width differs by 10 millimeters, it won’t have any negative impact to replace your existing 265/70R17 tires with 275/70R17 tires.
Because the chances of risk are low, especially when you are turning your vehicle or driving off roads. Hence, we think you are smart enough to make the right decision to choose between 265/70R17 and 275/70R17.
Related Posts:
