Noisy. Bad feelings. These tires have poor aquaplaning resistance and their geometry is compromised.
235/50 R17 Tires
Everything we know about the 235/50 R17 tire size: 21 owner reviews covering 351,010 miles of driving, and EU label data for the tires you can actually buy in it.
- 21owner reviews
- 351,010 milescovered on them
- 256tires made in this size
235/50 R17 EU tire label data
EU label values are declared for each individual size, so the figures here are exact for 235/50 R17 rather than a range across a model. 154 tires carry label data in this size. The most common load index is 100 (up to 800 kg per tire). Speed ratings on offer: Y (300 km/h), W (270 km/h), V (240 km/h), H (210 km/h), T (190 km/h), S (180 km/h), R (170 km/h), Q (160 km/h). 38 tires in this size carry the 3PMSF severe snow marking.
A Best wet grip
38 tires in this size hold the top EU wet grip rating, class A. The highest scoring on Tire Reviews:
- Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo Summer 9.5
- Falken ZIEX ZE320 Summer 9.4
- Nokian Hakka Blue 3 Summer 9.1
- Sailun Atrezzo ZSR2 Summer 8.9
- Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 Winter 8.9
- Linglong Sport Master Summer 8.9
B Lowest rolling resistance
The most fuel efficient choice: 23 tires in this size reach rolling resistance class B. The highest scoring on Tire Reviews:
- Hankook Winter I*cept Evo 4 Winter 9.6
- Goodyear UltraGrip Performance+ Winter 9.2
- Nokian Hakka Blue 3 Summer 9.1
- Sailun Atrezzo ZSR2 Summer 8.9
- Hankook Ventus Prime 4 Summer 8.8
- Michelin Primacy 5 Summer 8.8
67dB Quietest tires
The quietest 235/50 R17 tires are labelled at 67 dB external noise:
- Falken ZIEX ZE320 Summer 9.4
- Nokian Hakka Blue 3 Summer 9.1
- Dunlop Blue Response TG Summer 8.5
- Kleber Dynaxer HP4 Summer 8.2
- Davanti DX640 Summer 7.3
- Federal Formoza FD2 Summer 6.5
Label values come from the EU EPREL database and apply to the EU market versions of each tire. Wet grip and rolling resistance run from class A (best) to E; noise is the measured drive-by figure. A good label is a floor, not a verdict - the tests and owner ratings above tell you far more.
What does 235/50 R17 mean?
A 235/50 R17 tire is 235 mm wide, its sidewall is 50% of that width (118 mm) tall, and it fits a 17 inch wheel. That gives an overall diameter of roughly 667 mm.
| Section width | 235 mm |
|---|---|
| Sidewall height | 118 mm |
| Rim diameter | 17" (432 mm) |
| Overall diameter | ≈ 667 mm |
| Circumference | ≈ 2,095 mm |
| Revolutions per km | ≈ 477 |
| Revolutions per mile | ≈ 768 |
Also written as
235/50R17 235/50 ZR17 235-50-17 235 50 17
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 235/50 R17 tires?
The cars most often running this size in our owner reviews. Each links to the best rated tires for that exact car.
Ford Mondeo
2 reviews in this size
Infiniti G35 Coupe
2 reviews in this size
Ford Mondeo Titanium 2.0 TCDI
2 reviews in this size
Jaguar XJ8
1 reviews in this size
Jaguar S type 3.0
1 reviews in this size
Ford Kuga
1 reviews in this size
Peugeot 607
1 reviews in this size
Jaguar S type 4.2 SE naturally aspirated
1 reviews in this size
Jaguar S type 2.5
1 reviews in this size
Volvo V60 T6 AWD
1 reviews in this size
Every tire reviewed in 235/50 R17
The complete record, including discontinued tires and tires with too few reviews to rank, ordered by the amount of evidence. A further 17 tires have a single review each; they count toward the totals but are not listed.
| Tire | Season | Owner rating | Reviews | Distance reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgestone Potenza RE040 Replaced by Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo | Summer | 72% | 2 | 12,000 miles |
| Pirelli P6000 | Summer | 53% | 2 | 15,000 miles |
Reviews only cover part of the market: 256 tires are made in 235/50 R17. Browse every 235/50 R17 tire →
What drivers say about their 235/50 R17 tires
The most recent owner reviews fitted in this size, in their own words.
Phenomenal tire in deep snow. It'll go through just about any snow as long as it's not over the bumper. Also has done very well in a wide range of winter conditions, slush, ice, packed snow. I can cruise by cars that can barely stay on the road on their "all season" tires (dumb name for tires that really shouldn't be used in snow). My only reservation is they seem to be getting noisier on dry pavement as they wear. Though they haven't seen much dry pavement this year and it's almost time to switch to warmer weather tires anyway. I also uploaded a photo so you can see what kind of conditions this tire does well in. They've been in even worse than that but I wasn't taking any photos then. Too busy trying to find the road!
Have owned these tires (4) for a number of years and are very happy with them. I must say, that they handle very nicely (although I maintain proper pressures and alignment) which is necessary for ANY tire that is expected to work properly. The compound is hard thus providing excellent wear characteristics and I didn’t notice any handling deficients due to a harder compound. I would say the only lower scores reflected are a bit nosier and a bit harder ride but there’s always compromise between quiet and comfort vs handling and longer tire wear. We are very happy with our Dunlop Signature HPs and would gladly purchase a new pair when needed
Dealer installed these tires when I bought the car. I did not expect them to be great, but I was pleasantly surprised how well they've handled Wisconsin weather year round for 5 years. Pretty solid in the rain, not the greatest in winter, but they managed about as well as I expect an all season touring tire to manage. I did drive in some deeper snow a few times long distance since I live in a small town, and with proper driving technique, they did managed to keep me from ever getting stuck.
After much thought and research, through customer feedback, advertisements and testing reviews I chose these tires for their decent ratings, price and size. My car, Lexus SC 430, comes with 245/40-18 tires wearing low profile tires which I didn't find a comfortable combo, especially for a Lexus GT. I decided to purchase a set of used LS430 wheels which share all the specs of the 18s, offset and hub size. The Hankook 235/50-17 Ventus V2 Concept, (26.1 in. dia.) gave me .7 inch more sidewall height, close to the same tread width and only .4-inch larger diameter. Hankook has several 235/50-17s with 26.1-inch diameter which is .2 inches smaller than most 235/50-17 tires, usually 26.3 This combo gave me a smoother, more comfortable, by at least 60%-70%, and quieter ride. I always keep my tire pressure to near spec. 34psi front, 31psi rear and they perform great dry, good wet and good cornering. I don't drive in snow so no comment there. I feel they are much a better wheel and tire than OEMs.
I had these tires 235/50R17 96V Excellence FP fitted on my FORD G6E in April 2018 and car has done 63,000km and only now it is showing signs of wear and hairline cracks. I will buy these tires again if these were available.
I bought these Premier A/S tires back in April of 2020 with 106634 miles on the car when I had them installed.I had my car lined up shortly thereafter and it handled beautifully no problems and all was good. Today ,July 07, 2023, I took my car in for inspection and to my surprise the car failed the inspection because the right rear tire was almost bald in the center. The tire was worn evenly across the total width but more so in the middle. Now to be fair I keep my tire pressure at 36psi and I keep very close watch of the pressure. With that being said I don't understand why all of the other tires were in excellent shape. Since they have discontinued the Premier A/S I don't have to worry about not recommending it of which I would definitely do, my God it only had less than 19K on it. I went to the dealer that I bought them from and he as much as said that Michelin would tell me that they were over inflated and I had no valid case for a warranty claim. Needless to say I am not impressed with a tire that didn't stay on the market that long and I've played a royal price to see why. I tried calling Michelin and got tired of waiting so would I buy Michelin again, I'll have to think about.
My car has staggered tire sizes, so this review is also for 205/55 17. N spec all round.
Excellent.
Very secure in the wet.
Excellent feel, in any situation. These may be an old tire model now, but they're none the worse for it. If, like me, you've got a 987 on 17" wheels, you will have found by now that the only premium sports tires still available in these sizes are the various N spec tires: Conti Sport Contact 3, Goodyear F1 Assymmetric 1 and these Michelins. The word on the street (owners' club) is that these are generally considered to be the best of the three.
Drive on 235/50 R17 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.