could you tell me how 15 and 16 in. tires compare in size. I ahve 16's now and thinking about buying some 15in rims and was wondering hwo big i can go in this size.

thanks

 

I suggest using the tire spec data on sites like www.tirerack.com . Tire sizes vary slightly between manufacturers and models.

 

it really isn't going to matter whether you have 15" or 16" rims, it's just how they say what the size is. I have 16" rims, my tires are 255/85/R16's which would be 33x10.50's or so if it were a 15" rim. Getting 15" rims won't help that much with getting a larger tire.

The search feature is very handy, things of this nature have been discussed quite a bit.

 

The biggest tires I've seen for 15" rims are 48x21.50s.
Does that help?
Google "what do those numbers mean on the tire sidewall" and all will be revealed.
Okay, I will offer one piece of possible helpful advice - some Yotas with 16" rims cannot take 15" rims because of larger brakes. But 15" or 16" has nothing what so ever to do with tire sizes.

 

Generally speaking...

15" tires tend to be wider than 16" tires of the same diameter
15" tires tend to be slightly cheaper than 16" tires of the same diameter
15" wheels generally WON'T clear the brake calipurs on trucks wtih the 16" wheel package

 

16" wheels have a lower sidewall height for any given overall diameter, providing less sidewall flex under hard cornering. That translates to better contact patch/traction on the road for a given tire/ wheel combo of the same overall diameter. A taller sidewall may have an advantage in some offroad low psi apps, but the difference here is more negligable between 15s and 16s as overall diameter increases. Did that make any sense?

 

15 in rims may not fit clear your brake calipers. Just a thought.