1998 Chevrolet venture tire sizes & fitment
Approved tire and wheel sizes for the 1998 Chevrolet Venture, sourced from manufacturer fitment data and refreshed monthly.
Approved fitments
| Tire size | Rim size | PCD (bolt pattern) | Offset | Load index | Speed rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 215/70R15 OEM | R15 | 5x115 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
1998 Chevrolet venture wheel bolt pattern & specs
| Bolt pattern (PCD) | 5x115 |
|---|---|
| Wheel thread / lug size | M12x1.5 |
| Center bore | 70.3 mm |
| Source | adaptitusa-reference |
Best by use case
Four tires, four jobs
Best all-season
Hankook
Kinergy PT
all-season touring, UTQG 800, 90,000-mi warranty
Best budget
Hankook
Kinergy PT
Lowest cost per mile in this size; UTQG 800
Best quiet
Hankook
Kinergy PT
70 dB cabin noise (EU label); quietest in this size
Best winter
Bridgestone
Blizzak WS90
Dedicated winter (premium compound); ice/snow grip
See the best tires for the Chevrolet Venture, ranked by category →
Tire recalls & safety complaints for the Chevrolet Venture →
Compatible alternative sizes for 215/70R15
Sizes within the ETRTO ±3% overall-diameter safe-fit tolerance. Each row links to the size's own page.
| Alternative size | %Δ OD | Category | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
235/75R13 |
0.10% | alternative | Safe |
205/80R14 |
0.23% | winter narrower | Safe |
185/75R16 |
0.28% | plus 1 | Safe |
235/70R14 |
0.38% | alternative | Safe |
195/70R16 |
-0.38% | plus 1 | Safe |
For the full list of alternatives with comfort/handling impact, see 215/70R15 upsize options. To check an arbitrary size pair, use the tire compatibility calculator.
Check a different size against this vehicle
Type any tire size below; we'll compute its overall-diameter delta against the OEM 215/70R15 and verdict using the ETRTO ±3% rule.
Common upgrade paths
- Plus-1: 185/75R16; one rim size up, 0.28% OD change. Sharper steering, mild ride penalty, modest cost premium.
- Plus-2: 225/55R17; two rim sizes up, -0.40% OD change. Noticeable ride penalty, higher pothole risk, meaningful tire-cost premium.
Use the plus-size calculator to evaluate any rim step against the OEM size.
How to choose tires for the 1998 chevrolet venture extended
The 1998 Chevrolet Venture Extended ships from the factory on 215/70R15 tires mounted on R15 wheels. Only one approved fitment is documented for this model year, so replacement options should match the original size exactly unless a plus-size upgrade is being considered. The Compatible alternative sizes table above lists every safe substitution within the ETRTO ±3% overall-diameter tolerance.
Tire choice on the Chevrolet Venture comes down to three trade-offs that matter more than brand loyalty: load index (must equal or exceed the OEM number), speed rating (must match or exceed the placard), and UTQG treadwear (higher means longer life, lower usually means stickier rubber). Owners replacing factory tires with the same compound class, for example all-season for all-season, generally see no change in ride characteristics or fuel economy. Switching categories (performance summer to all-season touring, for example) is where the trade-offs show up at the contact patch.
For 1998 Chevrolet Venture Extended owners considering a plus-size upgrade, the safer option is a Plus-1 step (one rim size up with a 10-point aspect drop and ~10 mm of additional section width). Plus-2 is technically viable on this chassis if the alternative-sizes table lists a Plus-2 candidate within tolerance, but expect a meaningful ride-harshness penalty and a tire-cost premium of 30–60% per tire relative to the OEM fitment. For winter use the recommended pattern is one width step down (e.g. from a 235 to a 225) with the aspect ratio bumped up to preserve overall diameter; narrower tires apply higher contact pressure per square inch on snow, which translates directly into shorter braking distances. The plus-size calculator evaluates any specific rim step against this OEM size.
Before purchasing, verify the tire size on the driver-door placard of your specific 1998 Chevrolet Venture Extended, since trim levels and option packages can shift the original fitment from what is documented here. The placard reading is the authoritative source per FMVSS 110, and dealers will reference the placard rather than aftermarket catalogs when validating warranty claims.
NHTSA-reported issues for 1998 chevrolet venture
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Most reported: Tires (General) (7) · Tread / Belt (2) · Spare Tire (1)
Reported across: 1998 – 1998 (1 year)
What owners described
Blowout or sudden deflation is the most common description, in 23% of these reports. Percentages are shares of the 39 reports covering every model year of the Chevrolet Venture that include a written account; a single report can describe more than one problem, so they do not total 100%.
| Reported problem | This subject | All tire complaints | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blowout or sudden deflation | 23% | 20% | 1.1× |
| Tread or belt separation | 21% | 13% | 1.5× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 18% | 8% | 2.1× |
| Sidewall failure | 13% | 15% | 0.9× |
| Cracking or dry rot | 10% | 9% | 1.1× |
| Bubble or bulge in the tire | 8% | 6% | 1.3× |
Mileage at failure
16 of these reports state an odometer reading. The middle report is at 25,000 miles, with 8 in 10 falling between 5,000 and 152,156 miles.
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Chevrolet Venture. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
GOODYEAR ASSURANCE COMFORTRED 215/70 R15 98T. BELTS SEPARATED AT BEAD, GIANT GOITER IN SIDEWALL. I WAS TOLD BY DEALER THIS WAS A MOUNTING ERROR. NO TEARING OF INNER EDGE ON BEAD. THE OTHER THREE TIRES ALL HAVE BULGES STARTING IN SIDEWALLS.
PE-00-020; P215/70R15 ORGINIAL EQUIPMENT ON A CHEVROLET, VENTURE 1998. WHEN DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT 35-40 MPH RIGHT FRONT TIRE BLEWOUT, TREAD SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE. CONSUMER CONTACTED DEALER, DEALER INSPECTED TIRES. ALSO NOTICED RIGHT REAR TIRE TREAD WAS SEPARATING. *AK DEALER AGREED TO REPLACE ONE TIRE.
TIRE BLEW OUT. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP TO BE EXAMINED. THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY ROAD HAZARD SIGNS. DEALERSHIP CONTACTED MANUFACTURER AND THEY REFUSED WARRANTY. THE TIRE WAS ONLY 4 MONTHS OLD WHEN THIS HAPPENED.( DOT NUMBER: W2M3BCB259 TIRE SIZE: P215/70R15 )
WHILE DRIVING EAST ON 494 AT 55 MPH ONE OF FRONT FIRESTONE TIRES EXPLODED. THE CAR SWERVED ALL OVER THE INTERSTATE BUT FORTUNATELY THE TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT AT THAT TIME SO NO ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THE TIRE WAS SHREDDED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. A NEARBY GAS STATION PUT ON THE SPARE AND THE NEXT DAY I PAID TO HAVE THE PR680 REPLACED AT A FIRESTONE DEALER (STORE #016926-29F1 TR:8870 07 99) SINCE THEN THE OTHER FRONT TIRE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BUT THE 2 REAR TIRES ARE STILL ORIGINAL. FROM THE NEWSPAPER PICTURES I'VE SEEN (E.G. 9-2-00 MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE BUSINESS SECTION) THE TIRES ON MY CHEVROLET MINIVAN SEEM TO BE EXPLODING JUST LIKE THOSE FORD TIRES RECALLED.( DOT NUMBER: FR 680 )
Complaints are voluntarily submitted to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation and are not verified by NHTSA; they represent owner-reported problems, not proven defects. Counts can be useful as a relative quality signal across comparable tires or vehicles.
Frequently asked questions
What size tires fit a 1998 Chevrolet Venture?
What is the bolt pattern of a 1998 Chevrolet Venture?
Can I run a different tire size on my 1998 Chevrolet Venture?
Where can I buy tires for my 1998 Chevrolet Venture?
What is the recommended tire pressure for the 1998 Chevrolet Venture?
Can I fit winter tires in a different size on my 1998 Chevrolet Venture?
How often should I rotate the tires on my 1998 Chevrolet Venture?
For broader tire questions; replacement timing, UTQG, EV-specific tires, winter swaps; see the tire FAQ.
Sources for this page
- Vehicle owner's manual tire & wheel placard; door-jamb placard on the Chevrolet Venture is the authoritative source for OEM tire size, load index, and cold-inflation pressure for your specific trim.
- NHTSA SaferCar; recall lookup for the 1998 Chevrolet Venture.
- ETRTO 2024 Standards Manual §2.3; overall-diameter math used for the alternative-size verdicts above.
- Tire & Rim Association 2025 Yearbook; load-index to maximum-load reference.
Last verified 2026-09-02.