low profile?

[RooflessVW]

Remember it's a ratio. 225/40 and 285/30 are more or less the same overall diameter with the same height sidewall.

 

[97prizm]

Hi,

Is tire size 225/45/R17 considered "low profile"? I ask this because I would like to purchase the 2025 Hyundai Elantra Limited, but I am concerned those tires will profile a rough, stiff ride. I did a quick test drive and they seems fine, but it is hard to tell. Personally, I think size 16" is the sweet spot for ride comfort.

Thanks
Michael in NJ

17" tires are the new 15" tires from years ago. The ride won't be stiff, and can vary with the manufacturer and model of tire.

 

[Nessism1]

225/45/R17 is a perfectly reasonable size for a small car like that. I wouldn't overthink it

 

[dubber09]

I yet to see that Costco. With low end machines and poorly trained staff.
I am not sure why you think anyone would have 225/45 tires for construction zone?
I have on daily 225/40R18 and they do perfectly fine. If I had to go to construction zone I would not use that car.
OP is inquiring about tires that are on Elantra. Hardly a vehicle used on construction zones, except to maybe drive yourself to one. People who do that in vehicles like that, park vehicles outside the construction zone.
So, not sure how is that connected to inquiry by OP.

I don't go to construction zones but often have to go thru them as they pop up here and there on my way, also go light off-roading when fishing.
You guys may be right saying the 45 profile tires are becoming common, especially in US, in Canada they are not as common or were not a few years back. Rims and tires are often different on Canadian market vehicles; e.g. when I got my Sportage (brand new), it came with 215/70 R16 tires on alloy rims and no TPMS, and I liked that. Forte came with 55 profile tires (also no TPMS) and that was cool too as the size was very common for choices and availability as well as prices and car doesn't leave city or hwy pavement.
If I were to buy a car or to change rims/tires I'd not wanna go lower than 55 on a daily driver.

 

[userfriendly]

I used to drive my 911 to solar projects when I worked in that field.

225/40R18 and 285/30R18. Wal-Mart put those tires on for me.

I just put 275/35r20s on my daughter’s 22 Acadia because she wanted low profile tires. It only took a week for her to scratch both wheels on the passenger side. 20x9.5 +12 offset Black Rhino Delta.

 

[edyvw]

I don't go to construction zones but often have to go thru them as they pop up here and there on my way, also go light off-roading when fishing.
You guys may be right saying the 45 profile tires are becoming common, especially in US, in Canada they are not as common or were not a few years back. Rims and tires are often different on Canadian market vehicles; e.g. when I got my Sportage (brand new), it came with 215/70 R16 tires on alloy rims and no TPMS, and I liked that. Forte came with 55 profile tires (also no TPMS) and that was cool too as the size was very common for choices and availability as well as prices and car doesn't leave city or hwy pavement.
If I were to buy a car or to change rims/tires I'd not wanna go lower than 55 on a daily driver.

I don't go to construction zones but often have to go thru them as they pop up here and there on my way, also go light off-roading when fishing

We all have to drive through construction zones. I go through 3 major construction zones to get to office.

were not a few years back

They have been a staple on sedans for the last 25 years. On many, they were coming from the mid-1990s. In US and Canada.

 

[Astro14]

Hi,

Is tire size 225/45/R17 considered "low profile"? I ask this because I would like to purchase the 2025 Hyundai Elantra Limited, but I am concerned those tires will profile a rough, stiff ride. I did a quick test drive and they seems fine, but it is hard to tell. Personally, I think size 16" is the sweet spot for ride comfort.

Thanks
Michael in NJ

45 series tires were OEM on my 2001 Volvo. 235/45R17, to be exact.

I wouldn’t exactly consider them “low profile“ 24 years later.

My wife’s new 2025 XC90 Volvo has 40 series tires.

If a shop can’t handle the tires on a 24 year-old Volvo, they should not be in the tire business…

 

[f355spider]

I think Costco of all shops would not do them.
Mounting and dismounting 45 tires on nice and expensive rims can be a liability, it isn't easy to do with low end machine and lack of training.

To a daily commuter/driver me who often goes thru construction zones, anything below 55 would be a concern for rims damage.

I have friends with Porsches and Ferraris get tires installed at Costco. They have good equipment and decent training.
Me? No, I order from TireRack and I have a trusted professional race shop do my installs. I have had a wheel scratched on one of my BMWs at a Costco. They paid for the repair, but it was up to me to take the wheel to the repair shop and pick it up later, and for me to install my spare and then swap it back a week later. Never again.

 

[Kira]

Your vehicle, your life, your location.....your call.

I remember an aunt of mine calling me about tires for a VW I wasn't even aware she had. I asked her the size and it was a 45.
She said they (the low profile tires) had been the biggest PIA car oversight of her life.

 

[RooflessVW]

Your vehicle, your life, your location.....your call.

I remember an aunt of mine calling me about tires for a VW I wasn't even aware she had. I asked her the size and it was a 45.
She said they (the low profile tires) had been the biggest PIA car oversight of her life.

Bet they were Dunlops. The Dunlop 17" and 18" tires had the weakest sidewalls.

 

[Wireman1987]

45 series tires were OEM on my 2001 Volvo. 235/45R17, to be exact.

My 01 s60 T5 had that size tire

 

[meep]

Personally, I prefer 55-60 as my ideal for the sizes I run for sedans/wagons/minivans. Truck has 65 series and thats good on the truck. 45 starts to ride more harshly for my taste without really gaining any perceivable cornering grip. The last vehicle I had that called for 45s, I downsized the wheels and gained more sidewall.

 

[Japanese]

Personally, I think size 16" is the sweet spot for ride comfort.

You can always get some aftermarket 16" rims, but there will be no big difference. It will have noticeable difference if you get 15" but then the entire look of the car will go away.

My stock wheels are 225/45R18 and my winter wheels are 205/60R16. You can definitely feel the ride difference, but the winter tires have not higher sidewall, but also much softer too.
You can calculate your wheel difference using a tire calculator. There are myriads of tire calculators on the Net.
The most important is to keep the wheel diameter (or revolutions per mile) the same as the stock wheels.
https://www.calculator.net/tire-size-calculator.html