Which 225-60R17 Tires Are The Best?

The Best 225/60R17 Tires Right Now

The best 225/60R17 tire is the Hankook Kinergy PT H737 for pure mileage, the Michelin CrossClimate2 CUV for year-round weather, and the Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus if you want both. But the first thing to sort out is whether this tire is going on a sedan or a crossover. Same size marking, two very different vehicles, and the size ships in two load ratings to cover both. Get that backwards and the rest of the list does not matter.

I have been standing behind a tire counter in Long Beach for a long time, and 225/60R17 is one of the sizes where I ask the most questions before I quote anything. Not because the tires are complicated. Because the size sits at a crossroads. It goes on a Crown Victoria and it goes on a Hyundai Tucson. It went on base V6 Mustangs and it goes on minivans. Those vehicles want different things out of the same three numbers.

So here is how I would sort it if you walked in today.

What you are after	My pick	Treadwear	Warranty	Price
The most miles per dollar, period	Hankook Kinergy PT H737	860 A A	90,000 miles	USD 177.99
Real snow grip without a second set of wheels	Michelin CrossClimate2 CUV	640 B A	60,000 miles	USD 224.99
Long life and the best wet grade in the size	Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus	820 AA A	85,000 miles	USD 221.13
Crossover or small SUV, all-season	Continental CrossContact LX25	740 A A	70,000 miles	USD 183.99
Best money-per-mile without going cheap	Cooper CS5 Grand Touring	780 A A	80,000 miles	USD 149.08
Tight budget, still want A traction	Hercules Roadtour 855 SPE	620 A A	70,000 miles	USD 72.99
Real winter, ice and packed snow	Michelin X-Ice Snow 103XL	Not graded	40,000 miles	USD 224.71

Prices are per tire and they move. Everything under here is the reasoning, including where each one gives something up, because they all do.

What Cars Take 225 60R17 Tires

This size turns up on about 174 models across more than 60 manufacturers, which is a wider spread than most people expect from a 17-inch tire. That range is the whole reason the best-tire question does not have one answer.

Four groups cover most of what rolls through the shop.

Compact crossovers and small SUVs. Hyundai Tucson through a long production run, Chevrolet TrailBlazer, Infiniti QX50 and EX37, Hyundai Nexo. These are the heaviest vehicles wearing this size and they are the ones most likely to need the higher load rating.

Full-size sedans and coupes. Ford Crown Victoria in its last years, base V6 Mustangs from the early 2010s, Audi A6. Heavier than a compact car, lower than a crossover, and usually happier on a touring tire than on anything with a chunky tread.

Minivans and people movers. Buick Rendezvous and Terraza, Chevrolet Uplander, Dodge Caravan applications. These get loaded up with family and cargo more often than anything else on the list, which puts load index front and center.

Everything else. Honda Element, various Buick sedans, a long tail of crossovers that adopted the size as 17-inch wheels became standard on mid-trim packages.

Notice what those four groups have in common: not much. A loaded minivan on a summer road trip and a Mustang running errands are asking the same tire for opposite things. That is why the shopping starts with your door placard, not with a ratings list.

The 99 vs 103 Split That Decides Your List

Look at the end of the size on your sidewall. You will see something like 99H or 103T. That number is the load index and it is the first filter, before brand, before price, before anything.

In 225/60R17 the overwhelming majority of what gets built is load index 99 standard load, rated for 1,709 pounds per tire. A smaller group is built at load index 103 extra load, rated for 1,929 pounds. There is a handful at 98, rated 1,653 pounds, mostly on older passenger applications.

The gap between 99 and 103 is 220 pounds at every corner. Across four tires that is 880 pounds of capacity. On a crossover that already weighs 3,800 pounds empty and then gets loaded with four people, a dog and a week of luggage, that is not a spec-sheet curiosity.

Why the crossovers get the higher number

Extra load construction earns the bigger rating by being certified at a higher inflation pressure, roughly the low 40s psi instead of the mid 30s. The casing is reinforced to live at that pressure. That is the whole trick.

Which brings me to the part I end up explaining at the counter about once a week. An extra load tire only gives you the extra capacity when it is actually inflated to the pressure the rating is built around. Fit a 103XL and then set it at 33 psi because somebody said low pressure rides softer, and you have paid for capacity you are not receiving. The reinforcement is still in there. The rating is not, because the rating and the pressure are the same specification.

The rule is simple and it does not bend. Match your placard number or go higher. Never lower. If your Tucson calls for 103 and somebody sells you a 99 because it was on sale, that tire is under-specified for the vehicle no matter how well it reviews. If you want the full breakdown of how these ratings are put together, we walk through it in load range vs load index.

The speed rating matters more here than people think

This size shows up mostly in H and T, with a smaller group at V. T tops out at 118 mph, H at 130, V at 149. Nobody reading this is driving 118 mph, so the practical difference is not top speed. It is that speed rating changes what else comes with the tire.

Higher speed ratings usually mean a stiffer casing and a firmer ride, and manufacturers frequently publish a shorter mileage warranty on the faster version of the same model. Hankook, for instance, backs the Kinergy PT for 90,000 miles in T and H and 75,000 miles in V. Same tread pattern, different casing, different promise. If your placard says H, buying V does not buy you anything except a firmer ride and a shorter warranty. We break the letters down in H vs T tires.

Best For Maximum Tread Life

This is a mileage size. Nobody buys 225/60R17 because they want to feel the road. They buy it because the car needs tires and they would like to not do this again for a long time. Good news: the mileage end of this size is unusually deep right now.

Hankook Kinergy PT H737, USD 177.99, 225/60R17 99H. This is the one I point at. UTQG 860 A A with a 90,000-mile warranty, and that 860 treadwear grade is the highest in the size. It is not a close race either. Hankook is not a badge that impresses anybody in the driveway, and I do not care, because the tire does the job. Quiet, low rolling resistance, and it backs the mileage claim with the longest warranty anybody publishes here. If you drive a lot and you want to stop thinking about tires, buy these. View this tire.

Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus, USD 221.13, 225/60R17 99T. UTQG 820 AA A with an 85,000-mile warranty and 12/32 inch of tread depth to start with. Here is what makes this one special: that AA is the top wet traction grade the government test issues, and it is the only all-season in this size carrying it. Long life usually costs you wet grip because the compound gets harder. This one does not make you choose. It is a T-rated tire, so the ride is soft and the steering is relaxed rather than sharp. That is a feature on a family car. View this tire.

Continental TrueContact Tour 54, USD 180.99, P225/60R17 99H. UTQG 840 A A, 80,000 miles, 11/32 inch of depth. Sits right between the Hankook and the Pirelli. A traction rather than AA, but a genuinely quiet highway tire and Continental has a long track record in touring. View this tire.

Yokohama Avid Ascend LX, USD 175.99, 225/60R17 99H. UTQG 800 A A with an 85,000-mile warranty. Same money as the Hankook, slightly lower treadwear grade, slightly better ride comfort in my experience. Fine choice if you want the mileage without the Hankook badge. View this tire.

Tire	UTQG	Mileage warranty	Service description	Price
Hankook Kinergy PT H737	860 A A	90,000 miles	99H	USD 177.99
Continental TrueContact Tour 54	840 A A	80,000 miles	99H	USD 180.99
Michelin Defender2	840 B B	80,000 miles	99H	USD 214.99
Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus	820 AA A	85,000 miles	99T	USD 221.13
Yokohama Avid Ascend LX	800 A A	85,000 miles	99H	USD 175.99
Cooper CS5 Grand Touring	780 A A	80,000 miles	99T	USD 149.08
Nexen Aria AH7	760 A A	80,000 miles	99T	USD 161.00

One thing about reading that table. Treadwear numbers only compare honestly inside one brand, because every manufacturer runs its own reference test and grades against it. A Michelin 840 and a Continental 840 are not a promise of the same mileage. The warranty column is the number that actually costs somebody money if it is wrong, so weight that heavier. More on both in how to read tire treadwear ratings and how long car tire warranties really last.

Best For Year-Round Weather And Snow

If you get real winter and you are not willing to run a second set of wheels, this is your section. These are all-weather tires, which is a different animal from all-season. They carry the three-peak mountain snowflake and they are built to keep working when the thermometer drops, at the cost of some tread life.

Michelin CrossClimate2 CUV, USD 224.99, 225/60R17 99H. The one everybody names, and it deserves it. The V-shaped directional tread and the thermal adaptive compound do something genuinely unusual, which is behave like a real snow tire in December without falling apart in August. UTQG 640 B A with 60,000 miles. That B treadwear grade next to the Hankook's 860 tells you exactly what you are paying for winter capability with: about a third of the tread life. If you drive where it snows, that is a fair trade. If you live in Southern California, it is money spent on nothing. We put it head to head with the Continental alternative in CrossClimate 2 vs Continental all-season. View this tire.

Bridgestone WeatherPeak, USD 117.61, 225/60R17 99H. UTQG 700 A A with a 70,000-mile warranty, snowflake rated, and it costs about half what the Michelin does. Bridgestone built this specifically to bring all-weather capability down to a normal price. It does not have the CrossClimate2's outright snow bite, but it has more tread life and an A traction grade. For most people who see occasional snow rather than constant snow, this is the smarter buy. View this tire.

Firestone WeatherGrip, USD 175.99, 225/60R17 99H. UTQG 640 A A, 65,000 miles, snowflake rated. Sits between the two above on both price and capability.

Nokian One, USD 178.81, 225/60R17 99H. UTQG 720 A A with an 80,000-mile warranty. Nokian is a Finnish company that has been building for snow longer than most, and the One is their attempt at an all-season that does not embarrass itself in winter. Strong warranty for the category.

Best For Crossovers And Small SUVs

If your 225/60R17 is going on a Tucson, a TrailBlazer, a QX50 or anything else that sits tall, you want a tire designed for the extra weight and the higher center of gravity. CUV-specific construction means a stiffer shoulder so the tire does not roll over on itself in a lane change with a full load.

Continental CrossContact LX25, USD 183.99, P225/60R17 99H. UTQG 740 A A, 70,000 miles, 12/32 inch of tread to start. Built specifically for crossovers, quiet on the highway, and the deep starting tread means the mileage warranty is not wishful thinking. This is my default recommendation for anybody with a compact SUV who is not chasing snow performance. View this tire.

Yokohama Geolandar CV G058, USD 166.99, 225/60R17 99H. UTQG 740 A A with 65,000 miles. Same grades as the Continental, seventeen dollars less per tire, marginally more road noise. Good value in the category. View this tire.

Falken Wildpeak A/T Trail, USD 204.00, 225/60R17 99H. UTQG 680 A A, 65,000 miles, snowflake rated. This is the one for people whose crossover actually leaves pavement occasionally. A real light all-terrain tread that still rides civilly on the highway, which is a harder engineering problem than it sounds. You will hear it a little at 70 mph. That is the price of admission. View this tire.

One caution on the all-terrain options in this size. Several of them are built at 103XL, which is correct for a crossover but may be more tire than a sedan needs. If your placard says 99, a 103 will fit and carry more, but it will also ride firmer at the pressure your car asks for.

Best Value Under 150 Dollars

Here is something that has changed a lot in the years I have been doing this. The budget end of a mainstream size like 225/60R17 used to be a genuine gamble. Now several of the value brands carry A traction grades and warranties that would have been premium territory a decade ago.

Tire	UTQG	Warranty	Service description	Price
Hercules Roadtour 855 SPE	620 A A	70,000 miles	99H	USD 72.99
Kumho Solus TA11	700 A B	75,000 miles	99T	USD 99.06
Bridgestone WeatherPeak	700 A A	70,000 miles	99H	USD 117.61
Uniroyal Tiger Paw Touring A/S	700 A A	75,000 miles	99H	USD 118.96
General AltiMax RT43	700 A B	75,000 miles	99T	USD 120.49
Cooper CS5 Grand Touring	780 A A	80,000 miles	99T	USD 149.08

The Hercules Roadtour 855 SPE at 73 dollars is the one that raises eyebrows. A traction, A temperature, 70,000-mile warranty, at a price where you would normally expect a B grade and no warranty at all. It will not ride like the Michelin and the tread will not last like the Hankook, but it is a legitimate tire and it is not pretending otherwise.

The Cooper CS5 Grand Touring at 149 dollars is, if I am honest, the pick I would hand most people who ask for value. 780 treadwear, A and A grades, 80,000 miles. It gets you within striking distance of the premium mileage tires for about seventy dollars less per corner. Four tires, that is a two hundred eighty dollar difference.

Best Winter Tires In This Size

Winter tires are a small slice of what moves in 225/60R17, and most of what exists is built at 103XL because winter is when crossovers get loaded and driven badly. If you are in a place with genuine ice, a dedicated set on a second rim is still the best safety money you can spend on a car. Nothing in the all-weather section above matches a real winter tire on ice.

Michelin X-Ice Snow, USD 224.71, 225/60R17 103XL T. The ice tire to beat, and unusual in carrying a 40,000-mile warranty when most winter tires carry none at all. Built at 103XL, so it covers the crossover applications properly. View this tire.

Continental Viking Contact 7, USD 171.91, 225/60R17 103XL T. Strong ice and slush performance for fifty-three dollars less per tire. My value pick in the category and the one I sell most of. View this tire.

Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 SUV, USD 234.92, P225/60R17 103XL R. If you live somewhere that gets a serious winter, this is the specialist. The R speed rating caps at 106 mph, which tells you where the engineering priorities went.

Note the speed ratings across that group: T and R, where your all-season is probably H. That drop is normal and unavoidable, because winter compounds cannot survive the heat a high speed rating certifies against. It does mean your car's limits change with the season.

What Is The Price Of A 225/60R17 Tire

Straight answer: the size runs from roughly 71 dollars at the entry point to about 285 dollars at the premium end, and the middle of the market lands right around 157 dollars per tire. Specialty builds like whitewalls and redlines sit above that range.

That is a four-times spread from bottom to top, which is wide even by tire standards, and it is worth understanding what the extra money actually buys.

Price band	What you get	Typical warranty
USD 71 to 100	Basic touring construction, mostly A traction, some B temperature grades	35,000 to 70,000 miles
USD 100 to 150	Mainstream touring, consistent A grades, quieter tread designs	55,000 to 80,000 miles
USD 150 to 200	Premium touring, high treadwear grades, deeper starting tread	65,000 to 90,000 miles
USD 200 to 285	Flagship touring, all-weather snowflake ratings, CUV-specific construction	40,000 to 85,000 miles

Two things jump out of that table. First, the warranty numbers do not climb steadily with price. The longest warranties in the size sit in the 150 to 200 band, not at the top, because the most expensive tires are buying you weather capability instead of mileage. Second, four tires plus mounting, balancing, valve stems and disposal will land somewhere between about 380 dollars and 1,250 dollars depending on where you buy in that range. That is a real decision, not a rounding error.

My honest read: the sweet spot in this size is 150 to 200 dollars per tire. Below 100 you are giving up tread life you will notice. Above 225 you are paying for snow capability, and if you do not get snow, you are paying for nothing.

Can I Use 225 55r17 Instead Of 225 60R17

Not without consequences. A 225/55R17 is 3.2 percent shorter than your 225/60R17, which puts it just outside the three percent tolerance most of us work to.

Here are the actual numbers. Your 225/60R17 stands 27.63 inches tall with 5.32 inches of sidewall and turns about 730 revolutions per mile. A 225/55R17 stands 26.74 inches, has 4.87 inches of sidewall, and turns about 754 revolutions per mile.

What that does to you, in order of how much it matters:

1. Your speedometer starts reading high. More revolutions per mile means the car thinks it is going faster than it is. At an indicated 70 mph you are actually doing about 68. Your odometer over-counts, which quietly eats your mileage warranty and your service intervals.
2. You lose 0.44 inch of ride height at every corner. On a sedan that is cosmetic. On a crossover that is ground clearance you may want, and it can throw headlight aim off enough to notice on a dark road.
3. You lose half an inch of sidewall. That is your pothole insurance. Long Beach streets will find that difference for you.
4. Load index usually drops. A shorter sidewall on the same width holds less air, so the 225/55R17 builds tend to be rated lower than the 99 or 103 you are replacing.

The one case where I would say yes: you are buying a complete winter setup on separate wheels, you accept the speedometer offset, and the load index still meets your placard. Otherwise, stay on 60 series. Full dimensions on the alternative are in 225/55R17 in inches.

Can You Put 225 65R17 Instead Of 225 60R17

Same answer, opposite direction, and this one is the more dangerous of the two.

A 225/65R17 stands 28.52 inches, which is 3.2 percent taller than your 225/60R17, and turns about 707 revolutions per mile against your 730. Also just outside tolerance.

The direction of the error is what makes this worse. Fewer revolutions per mile means your speedometer reads low. At an indicated 70 mph you are actually doing about 72. You are going faster than the gauge says, all the time, and your odometer under-counts the miles you drive. People discover this at a traffic stop.

The other issues are the mirror image of the shorter tire. You gain 0.44 inch of ride height per corner, which can rub in the wheel well at full steering lock on tighter applications, and you gain sidewall, which softens the ride. The load index usually goes up rather than down, which is at least not a safety problem.

Worth knowing: 225/65R17 is a genuinely popular size in its own right on crossovers, so if your vehicle offers both as factory options you are in different territory and should follow the placard for the wheel you have. If it does not, stay on the size the car was engineered around. We covered the taller size separately in the best 225/65R17 tire.

Size	Overall diameter	Difference	Revs per mile	Speedometer effect
225/60R17 (yours)	27.63 in	Baseline	730	Correct
225/55R17	26.74 in	Minus 3.2 percent	754	Reads high, you drive slower than indicated
225/65R17	28.52 in	Plus 3.2 percent	707	Reads low, you drive faster than indicated
215/60R17	27.16 in	Minus 1.7 percent	743	Within tolerance
235/60R17	28.10 in	Plus 1.7 percent	718	Within tolerance
215/65R17	28.00 in	Plus 1.3 percent	720	Within tolerance

If you genuinely need to move off 225/60R17, the bottom three rows are where to look. 215/60R17 and 235/60R17 both land inside two percent and keep your sidewall height close.

What Brand Of Tires Should I Stay Away From

I get asked this constantly and I am going to answer it a little sideways, because after enough years at the counter I do not think brand is the right unit of measurement.

Every major manufacturer builds excellent tires and every major manufacturer builds ordinary ones. Michelin makes the CrossClimate2 and Michelin also makes tires I would not pay that money for. The same is true up and down the list. Judging by badge will steer you wrong in both directions: it will talk you into overpaying for a mediocre tire with a good name, and it will talk you out of something like that Hercules at 73 dollars that is genuinely fine.

What you actually want is a way to spot a tire that will disappoint you. Four checks, and they take about a minute.

1. Look for a published mileage warranty. This is the strongest signal there is, because it is the only number the manufacturer has to write a check against. A 90,000-mile warranty means somebody ran the validation and accepted the liability. No published mileage warranty in a mainstream touring size is telling you something.
2. Check the traction grade, not just treadwear. The grades run AA, A, B and C, measured as wet stopping capability under a standardized Department of Transportation procedure. In this size the good tires are A or AA. A B grade in a family-car size is a meaningful step down in wet braking and it is the one that matters on a rainy freeway.
3. Compare treadwear against price, in the same brand. Treadwear grades are self-reported against each manufacturer's own reference, so cross-brand comparison is shaky. Within one brand it is reliable. A 400 treadwear tire priced like a 700 treadwear tire is a bad deal regardless of the name on it.
4. Confirm the load index matches your placard. Back to where we started. This is the check that is actually a safety issue rather than a value issue.

Run those four and the brand question mostly answers itself. What I would steer you away from is not a company, it is a spec sheet: no mileage warranty, a B traction grade, and a treadwear number under about 500 in a size where 700 and up is widely available. In 225/60R17 you do not have to accept any of that, because several value brands here carry A grades and 70,000-mile warranties. Cheap and bad are not the same thing in this size, and that is a nicer situation than we had ten years ago.

How I Would Pick In Five Minutes At The Counter

1. Open the driver door and read the placard. Note the size, the load index, and the cold pressure. That number after the size, 99 or 103, is your first filter.
2. Tell me sedan or crossover. Crossover means CUV construction and probably 103XL. Sedan means touring construction and probably 99.
3. Tell me about winter. Real snow means the all-weather group or a dedicated winter set. Rain only means buy the mileage tire and keep the money.
4. Tell me your annual mileage. Over 15,000 miles a year and the 90,000-mile warranty pays for itself. Under 8,000 and the tires will age out before they wear out, so buy grip instead of tread life.
5. Now compare, on warranty and traction grade. Not on brand. You will have four or five candidates left and the spec sheets will separate them cleanly.
6. Set the pressure to the placard on install. Especially if you bought 103XL. Do not let anybody talk you down for ride comfort.

Conclusion

The Hankook Kinergy PT H737 is the best 225/60R17 tire for most people, because most people in this size want maximum miles and the 860 treadwear grade and 90,000-mile warranty are the best of that in the size. If you see snow, the Michelin CrossClimate2 CUV is worth its premium and the Bridgestone WeatherPeak is worth a hard look at half the money. If you want long life without giving up wet grip, the Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus is the only all-season here carrying an AA traction grade.

But start with the placard. This size covers minivans, crossovers, full-size sedans and base Mustangs, and it comes in load ratings from 98 to 103 to handle that spread. The 220 pounds per corner between a 99 and a 103 is the difference between a tire that fits your car and a tire that merely fits your wheel.

Check your number, then come shop the full range of 225/60R17 tires filtered to what your vehicle actually asks for.

Key Takeaways

• Best overall for mileage is the Hankook Kinergy PT H737 at USD 177.99, with an 860 treadwear grade and a 90,000-mile warranty, the highest of both in this size.
• Best for year-round weather is the Michelin CrossClimate2 CUV, though the Bridgestone WeatherPeak delivers snowflake-rated capability and a 700 treadwear grade for about half the price.
• The Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus is the only all-season in the size carrying an AA wet traction grade, paired with 820 treadwear and 85,000 miles.
• Load index runs 98, 99 and 103 here. Between 99 (1,709 lb) and 103 (1,929 lb) there is 220 lb per corner, 880 lb across the set. Match your placard or go higher, never lower.
• Extra load tires only deliver their rating at their higher certified pressure, in the low 40s psi. Running them soft gives away the capacity you paid for.
• Price runs about USD 71 to USD 285 per tire, with the middle of the market near USD 157. The longest warranties sit in the 150 to 200 band, not at the top.
• Both 225/55R17 and 225/65R17 land 3.2 percent off your diameter, just outside tolerance. The taller size is the riskier swap because your speedometer reads low.

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