Will 205 40 R16 tires fit on a 2002 PT Cruiser?

Answer 1

First, what the numbers mean: 205 is the width of the tire in millimeters, 40 is the aspect ratio of the sidewall showing how tall the sidewall is (so 40% of 205 means it is 82mm) and the last number is the wheel size in inches, meaning a 16 inch wheel. The very first thing you need to do is go look at the tires you have on the car right now...if it says anything other than "16" on the end, the tires you asked about won't fit. A 16 inch tire WILL NOT anything but a 16 inch wheel! If it does say 16, yes, they will fit, but the tire is shorter than the stock size because the sidewall is shorter (205-55R16 is stock for a PT with 16 inch wheels, meaning the stock size has a sidewall height of 55% of 205 or 113mm, so your tire is about 31mm shorter than stock.) HOWEVER, your speedometer will read nearly 10% too fast, it will show you're doing 60 when you're actually doing 54, and there are unknown problems that could be caused by changing the tire size. The manufacturer designs a car around a certain size for the travel of the suspension, proper brake function, steering, etc., and if you change it you could cause the car to have problems or failures. It's best to keep the size the same. I have a set of 205-60R16's on my PT Cruiser because I bought an aftermarket set of wheels and tires, and the seller recommended that size to be used with the wheels. I was not sure they would still fit because with the 60% aspect ratio they are taller than stock, and it was very close on clearance in the front, but they have worked fine. Another thing to remember is that with the shorter sidewall of your 40's, even though they have the cool low profile look, it's so much easier to damage your wheels on curbs because the wheels are much closer to the ground. I have been very happy with having largersidewalls because I'm less likely to curb my expensive wheels! I'd recommend staying closer to the stock size...buy some from a reputable local tire shop or go online and find something that's recommended for your car.