265 Vs 275: What Is The Difference Between 265 And 275 Tires?

It’s easy to forget just how important tires are in the operation of your vehicle. When replacing your tires with new ones you’ve never had before, you can actually travel at a higher speed without realizing it! But how do you even tell tires apart?

It’s good to know in order to be more efficient with your fuel and also avoid getting a speeding ticket! Even if you are traveling at a speed that you believe will get you the most mileage, you may be wrong.

Luckily, there is plenty of information out there about speed ratios and how they’re affected when you get new tires. 

But when it comes to 265 and 275 tires, the main difference will be in their size. The 265 is just a bit smaller than the 275. While another difference – that we just discussed – will be in how they affect the speed of your vehicle.

Regardless of rim size, whether 17 or 18 inches, the speed difference will actually be 1.26 mph more than what the speedometer is telling you. Both tires are made in the same way, and both are available in rim sizes of 17 or 18 inches.

Below, we’ll go into more information about both tires and compare them in terms of height and width. We’ll also find out if these tires are interchangeable. Let’s get into it!

What Is A 265 tire?

A distinctive marker on tires is the code found on the side of them.

This is usually a letter that indicates what kind of car the tire is meant for (for example, if you see the letter ‘P’ on a tire that means it’s a passenger vehicle), followed by 3 digits that tell you the tire width in metric. In this case, 265 means the tire is 265 mm wide.

To know what the width of the tire is in inches, just divide 265 by 25.4. You’ll get 10.43 inches.

You may also see another set of digits after the 265, such as 55, 65 and 70. These numbers indicate the difference between the sidewall distance and the section size. For example, a 265/55 tire means that the sidewall size is 55% of the section width.

This will then be followed by a letter that indicates the type of tire you are purchasing. For example, the letter ‘B’ means you are buying a belted tire, ‘R’ means you are buying a radial tire, and ‘D’ means – confusingly – that you are buying a bias-ply tire. 

What Is A 275 Tire?

One of the most popular types of tires for large vehicles, 275 tires are larger in diameter than 265s, although this may not seem like the case at first glance. They may look exactly the same!

This is why tires display their sizes, to make it easier for the customer to see the rim size and purchase the right tire. Usually a 275 tire will require a rim that is about 18 inches, but if you have a larger vehicle you can always go for bigger rims.

What makes 275 tires so appealing is that they are great for those who like to drive a bit faster, and the 275 tire will actually make your car go 1.5 mph faster than what the speedometer is telling you that you’re going.

275 tires are also great for using on an RV or motorhome as you can achieve a lot better mileage with them on long trips.

However, they are pricier than 265 tires, so if you’re not an avid RVer or don’t go very far in your larger vehicle, then it is more economical to opt for 265 tires. 

But if you’re still not sure which tire would be right for you, let’s go into more detail about these tires and see which ones make more sense for you.

But even after weighing up all the information and there is no clear winner for you, you can always opt for tires that are more compatible with your rims, meaning that you don’t have to worry too much about specifications when buying your tires.

Which Is Bigger? A 265 Or 275?

The 275 is just a bit bigger than the 265. When it came to section width, the 265 measured at 10.43 inches while the 275 measured 10.83 inches. Meanwhile, the overall diameter of the 265 was 30.56 inches while the 275 measured 31.08.

The 275 also beat the 265 when it came to sidewall height, measuring at 7.04 inches while the 265 measured at 6.78 inches. The radius of the 275 was 15.54 while for the 265 it was 15.28.

Meanwhile, the circumference of the 275 was 97.64 while the 265 was 96.01

The only thing the 265 had the 275 beat on was revolutions per mile, with the 275 measuring at 648.91 while the 265 registered at 659.95. But interestingly both tires fit on the same rim, despite these small differences.

So while you can upgrade your rim size from a 16 or 17-inch to an 18-inch rim, the 275 will still be the bigger tire in every area except revolutions per mile.

Which Is Wider? A 265 Or 275?

While the 275 is wider than the 265, it’s not by a huge amount. In fact, it’s only a 0.4 inch difference between the 275 and the 265, the same difference as upgrading your 16-inch 275 tires to 17-inch 275 tires.

But while this difference is hardly anything and shouldn’t have too much of a negative impact on the mileage per gallon, the thicker tires may be more prone to hydroplaning. Thinner tires handle wetter conditions and slippery roads with lots of puddles better than thicker ones.

Thicker tires also have less traction on pretty much all surfaces except for pavement and thick, deep sand. When it comes to driving over wet grass or clay-like surfaces, the 265 tire has the edge over the 275. 

When you change your tires, you may not notice much of a change on the speedometer readings at first. When comparing how the 265 tires and 275 tires affect speed, the actual speed was just over 1 mph more than the speedometer reading.

Still, this makes all the difference when you are approaching speed traps.

Which Is Taller? A 265 Or 275?

Much like the width, there is only a small difference between the height of these tires and how tall they are. The 275 is once again bigger at 31.1 inches, while the 265 tires measure at 30.6 inches.

With regard to how this affects the performance, there isn’t a lot of difference, especially when it comes to speed. Depending on what kind of vehicle you’re driving, you’ll see different results.

The speedometer might measure lower than the actual speed you’re driving, it might be higher, or it might be accurate. 

However, because the 275 is taller than the 265, you’ll get fewer revolutions per mile which could be good news for your tires and make them last a bit longer. Because the surface of the tire will experience less contact with the road, they won’t wear down as quickly as the 265. 

Overall, the difference between the heights of these tires is miniscule, and you may not even notice that much of a difference when you’re driving, as long as you stick to the same tire code when the time comes to get new ones.

Can You Fit A 275 Tire On A 265 Rim?

This may come as a surprise, but yes you can fit both tires on the same rims. The crucial measurement will be the last two digits on the identification number of the tire. This could be 16, 17, or 18. These digits tell you what rim size fits your tire.

So if both of your 265 and 275 tires end with 16, 17 or 18 then they will fit on the same rim. 

Despite the 275 being slightly larger than the 265 tire, the truly noticeable difference will be in the price, as the 275 will cost more… even though there is more construction material packed into the 265.

There will be a noticeable difference in your speed, but this won’t be too obvious due to the size difference between both tires, and what the speedometer is telling you won’t be the actual speed you’re driving at the time.

Again, we can’t stress enough how important it is to check the digits on your tires, as these tell you all the information you need on finding the right set of tires for your vehicle. 

Can You Replace Your 275 Tires With 265 Tires? 

Yes, you can replace your 275 tires with 265 tires as long as you’re replacing all your tires. This may seem obvious, but it’s crucial.

When changing all 4 tires on your vehicle, you need to pay attention to the last 2 digits in the code to ensure they’re the right size for your vehicle. For example, you can’t put 265/70R16s on 17-inch wheels. 

However, there is an exception to this rule. You don’t have to follow it if the manufacturer states you don’t necessarily have to. Or, this rule can be broken in an emergency situation.

If you have a flat tire, and you don’t have the right size tire that will match up with the rest of the tires. But this should only be a short-term temporary fix to get you back on the road again. You should get the correct-sized tires as soon as you can. 

It’s also worth remembering that 265 tires, 275 tires, and indeed all other tires have different ratings. We mentioned this at the beginning of the article, but look out for letters like ‘P’ as these indicate what type of vehicle the tire was designed for.

You wouldn’t want to change your car tire with a tire that has ‘LT or ‘ST’ on it, as these are tires designed for light trucks and special trailers respectively. 

It’s a common misconception that a tire is just a tire, but tires are very specific so always double-check what kind of tires you’re fitting your car with.

So Are They Interchangeable?

This is a tricky question to answer. We would say yes… but it all depends on the circumstances. These tires are interchangeable if you’re changing all the tires on your car at once.

You can swap out a 265 for a 275 and vice versa without having to compromise on performance and – most importantly – safety.

But you can’t just change one 265 tire for a 275 one when the rest of your tires are 265s, and you can’t change a radial tire for a bias tire when the rest of the wheels have bias tires.

This is because each tire will have different capabilities when it comes to speed and load-carrying. When changing your tires, if they have different letters and numbers corresponding to those two categories then you can’t use them interchangeably. 

Replacing tires is simple enough, but it’s not just a case of replacing your tire with any old tire. Having an understanding of all the different codes makes your life so much easier when it comes to keeping safe and keeping your car performing well.

After all, this is what the codes on tires are made for, so you can drive safely and make sure your car has the same tires on all 4 wheels.

All that being said, let’s take a look at the 265 and 275 tires in more detail, and look at these two tires with a rim size of 17-inches. 

265 70R17 Vs 275 70R17: What’s The Difference?

For a brief overview, let’s take a quick look at the comparison chart below to see the differences between these two tires. All measurements are in inches. 

Category	265 70R17	275 70R17
Circumference	99.27	101.3
Overall Diameter	31.60	32.16
Radius	15.80	16.08
Revolutions Per Mile	638.23	627.12
Rim Diameter	17	17
Section Width	10.43	10.83
Sidewall Height	7.30	7.58

When it comes to which tire performs better, this will all depend on the manufacturer and the quality of the materials used. Not all tires are created equal and some will definitely be of a lower quality than others.

But this chart is mainly concerned with stats and specs rather than the manufacturing process of the tires and their quality. When it comes to the top-rated tire brands there may be only slight differences in certain specifications and stats.

How Big Is The 265 70R17 In Inches?

As we discussed previously, 265 is the measurement of the tire in millimeters, and equates to 10.43 in inches. This number is also sometimes known as the section width.

The ‘70’ refers to 70%, which can be hard to wrap your head around what that means in inches, but it’s basically the distance between the sidewall height and the outside of the tread, which is 7.3 inches.

The tire’s circumference will be close to 100 inches, while the radius will be about 16 inches in size. The 17 simply means 17 inches.

This can be a bit confusing when you first read the code, as it is not a metric measurement, and the fact that the code doesn’t stick to one mathematical system does complicate matters!

The overall diameter of the 70R17 will be about 31.5 inches in size. But while this makes it larger than the 265 70R17, it won’t have too much of an impact on the performance.

Upgrading Your F150 With 275 Tires

When you are increasing the size of your tires (going from a 265 to 275), there is more to take into account other than just load and speed, etc. Another thing to be mindful of is the vehicle clearance inside the F150’s wheel well.

A subpar clearance will be unable to support the upgrade, and your tire will wear out quickly thanks to excessive rubbing. But there are some benefits if your wheel clearance can accommodate a wider tire.

One benefit will be improved lateral traction, which actually makes your vehicle look a lot better following the upgrade! A taller tire will also close the fender well gap between the tire and your truck, making for a gentler ride and more ground clearance. 

Unfortunately, if you drive a car you will not be able to reap the benefits of upgrading to a taller tire. This is because a truck like the F150 will be able to better handle the size difference.

For even more ground clearance and a better ride in your F150 you can even go taller than a 275 if you wish!

Upgrading Your Tacoma With 275 Tires

Refer to our comparison chart above for tires matching this vehicle. However, you may notice a difference in your speed when swapping out the tires on your Tacoma for 275 tires. It is only a slight difference admittedly, but your speed will increase when using 275s rather than 265s.

For example, at 20 mph, you will be going 0.35 mph faster with 275s, and going at 100 mph you will be going 1.74 mph faster. 

But apart from that, your Tacoma will look and feel the same with 275 tires. In fact, you may only be able to tell the difference by checking out the codes. But – as always – codes are critical if you frequently find yourself carrying heavy loads.

If this is the case, check what the load level and speed maximums are by reading the code on the side of the tire.

Final Thoughts

Code is king! When the time comes to change your tires, making sure the codes on your tires match is crucial for keeping you and your passengers safe and so your vehicle can perform at its best.

All four tires need to be labeled with the same code, and as long as that’s the case, you’re good to go! 

But if you have any questions, your local tire dealer is sure to point you in the right direction and provide clarity. You can also consult your owner’s manual to see what tires are right for your vehicle. 

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