Expected better, but the heavier front end (diesel) and driving style doesn't help life span.
255/55 R16 Tires
Everything we know about the 255/55 R16 tire size: 11 owner reviews covering 200,092 miles of driving, and EU label data for the tires you can actually buy in it.
- 11owner reviews
- 200,092 milescovered on them
- 2tires made in this size
What does 255/55 R16 mean?
A 255/55 R16 tire is 255 mm wide, its sidewall is 55% of that width (140 mm) tall, and it fits a 16 inch wheel. That gives an overall diameter of roughly 687 mm.
| Section width | 255 mm |
|---|---|
| Sidewall height | 140 mm |
| Rim diameter | 16" (406 mm) |
| Overall diameter | ≈ 687 mm |
| Circumference | ≈ 2,158 mm |
| Revolutions per km | ≈ 463 |
| Revolutions per mile | ≈ 746 |
Also written as
255/55R16 255/55 ZR16 255-55-16 255 55 16
Figures are calculated from the nominal size. A loaded, rolling tire runs a few percent smaller, and true widths vary slightly between makes.
What cars use 255/55 R16 tires?
The cars most often running this size in our owner reviews. Each links to the best rated tires for that exact car.
Porsche 911 3.0
1 reviews in this size
Volkswagen Golf GTI
1 reviews in this size
Toyota Verso 1.8vvt t3
1 reviews in this size
BMW E39 5 series
1 reviews in this size
Volkswagen Jetta 2.0 TDI
1 reviews in this size
Volkswagen Beetle 1200
1 reviews in this size
BMW 320D
1 reviews in this size
Skoda Octavia
1 reviews in this size
Skoda Octavia estate
1 reviews in this size
Kia Motors Ceed
1 reviews in this size
What drivers say about their 255/55 R16 tires
The most recent owner reviews fitted in this size, in their own words.
These were fitted to my 2007 Kia Cee'd 16 CRDi when I bought the car at 80,000 miles.
After 3 years and 30,000 miles they are down to 4mm all round (after being rotated front to rear to get even wear) which I think is pretty good life span as I generally don't hang about.
Grip is good in both wet and dry, and handling seems fine.
Dislikes include road roar and that they are directional which is a pain when I came to rotate them. Additionally, there is now quite a lot of cracking between the tread which concerns me.
After 3 years and 30,000 miles they are down to 4mm all round (after being rotated front to rear to get even wear) which I think is pretty good life span as I generally don't hang about.
Grip is good in both wet and dry, and handling seems fine.
Dislikes include road roar and that they are directional which is a pain when I came to rotate them. Additionally, there is now quite a lot of cracking between the tread which concerns me.
Found this review while looking for replacement tires. A summer shower on M45 Coventry had me Aquaplaning almost off the road and going way less than speed limit. Summer grip is fine. Road noise is dependent on surface. Unlikely to buy these again.
I'm only writing this review to comment on the wet grip of this tire which is awful at best and better described as dangerous. These tires make a city roundabout a risky business and I dread to think what might happen on a country road...you need an extra lane to deal with the understeer. I won't be hanging around to find out though as I'm changing them ASAP and have no hesitation in spending the money required to do so. They came on the front of a 2nd hand skoda octavia and appear to have been fitted recently (look new, plenty of tread). My life is worth more to me than the cost of replacing them.
Great tires - would get them again and again. Superb grip in the slush and snow.
I got 2 front Pirelli P6000 on Thursday, I feel already it has made a big difference when driving, I had Continental Conti-sport ones before but I prefer these, better to steer, really comfortable and looking forward to test them out on a long distance journey.
I bought these because they looked good and were relatively cheap. Dry grip is not too bad, but they are a dissaster in the wet - very scary at motorway speeds in the rain. In snow it's like driving on bald tires - almost no grip at all. The outside edge of the front tires wore away very quickly and NO my tracking does not need doing. I will be relieved to change these for a better tire.
tires dont wear at all well seem to wear on outside of tread both front and rear (all checked on last service 15k) doesnt grip very well from fist take off from start if damp or wet.would not buy again regardless of price etc
Drive on 255/55 R16 tires?
Review your tires and help the next driver choose. It takes about five minutes, and every review on this page came from a driver who took them.
Where this data comes from
Owner ratings are submitted through the review form on this site, naming the tire, the size and the distance covered, and are checked by hand before publication. Test results come from independent published tire tests indexed by size, and label values from the EU EPREL database.
About the TR Score
The Tire Reviews Score rates each tire out of 10 using independent test results and the full body of owner reviews, so you can check a car-specific ranking against the wider evidence.
Who does the testing
Every test published as a Tire Reviews test is run by Jonathan Benson, who has been testing tires independently since 2007.