1997 Chrysler cirrus tire sizes & fitment
Approved tire and wheel sizes for the 1997 Chrysler Cirrus, sourced from manufacturer fitment data and refreshed monthly.
Approved fitments
| Tire size | Rim size | PCD (bolt pattern) | Offset | Load index | Speed rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 195/65R15 OEM | R15 | 5x100 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
1997 Chrysler cirrus wheel bolt pattern & specs
| Bolt pattern (PCD) | 5x100 |
|---|---|
| Wheel thread / lug size | M12x1.5 |
| Center bore | 57.1 mm |
| Source | bolt-pattern.com |
Best by use case
Four tires, four jobs
Best all-season
Bridgestone
Turanza QuietTrack
all-season touring, UTQG 800, 80,000-mi warranty
Best budget
Goodyear
Assurance MaxLife
Lowest cost per mile in this size; UTQG 820
Best quiet
Bridgestone
Turanza QuietTrack
68 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 Chrysler Cirrus, ranked by category →
Tire recalls & safety complaints for the Chrysler Cirrus →
Compatible alternative sizes for 195/65R15
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
225/45R17 |
-0.03% | plus 2 | Safe |
215/65R14 |
0.09% | alternative | Safe |
175/65R16 |
-0.09% | plus 1 | Safe |
185/55R17 |
0.13% | plus 2 | Safe |
175/80R14 |
0.17% | winter narrower | Safe |
For the full list of alternatives with comfort/handling impact, see 195/65R15 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 195/65R15 and verdict using the ETRTO ±3% rule.
Common upgrade paths
- Plus-1: 175/65R16; one rim size up, -0.09% OD change. Sharper steering, mild ride penalty, modest cost premium.
- Plus-2: 225/45R17; two rim sizes up, -0.03% 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 1997 chrysler cirrus lxi
The 1997 Chrysler Cirrus LXi ships from the factory on 195/65R15 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 Chrysler Cirrus 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 1997 Chrysler Cirrus LXi 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 1997 Chrysler Cirrus LXi, 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 1997 chrysler cirrus
Top issue category: Sidewall
Most reported: Sidewall (4) · Tires (General) (1) · Tread / Belt (1)
Reported across: 1997 – 1997 (1 year)
What owners described
Blowout or sudden deflation appears in 31% of these reports; about 1.5× as often as across all tire complaints. Percentages are shares of the 13 reports covering every model year of the Chrysler Cirrus 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 | 31% | 20% | 1.5× |
| Sidewall failure | 23% | 15% | 1.5× |
| Bubble or bulge in the tire | 8% | 6% | 1.3× |
| Cracking or dry rot | 8% | 9% | 0.8× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 8% | 8% | 0.9× |
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Chrysler Cirrus. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
ON DEC 29TH 2015 I WENT TO BELL TIRES ROSEVILLE MICHIGAN TO HAVE A PUNCTURED TIRE REPAIRED THEY WERE REALLY BUSY SO I LEFT MY TIRE THERE WITH MY SPARE ON NEXT DAY AT 8AM ON DEC 30TH 2015 THEY SAID THEY PATCHED MY TIRE BUT THEY HAD NO TIME TO PUT THE TIRE ON SO WENT TO DISCOUNT TIRE ROSEVILLE MICHIGAN THEY NOTICE THE TIRE WAS NOT REPAIRED PROPERLY AS THE TIRE WAS PATCHED BUT IT APPEARED THAT IT WAS NOT PLUGGED. I DON'T HAVE THE TIRE INFO RIGHT NOW I WILL GIVE IT TO YOU LATER BUT MY CAR IS 1998 CHRYSLER CIRRUS. MY EMAIL IS [XXX]- I AM - [XXX] (I PREFER EMAIL).......PLEASE NOTICE THAT MAYBE BELL TIRE USED A NEW AND APPROVED PROCEDURE TO FIX MY TIRE THAT DOES NOT INVOLVED PLUGGING AS WELL AS PATCHING. THAT IS WHY I ASKED YOU FOR ADVICE. THANK YO*TR
WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH OR LESS VEHICLE WENT OVER A CURB WHICH CAUSED A PASSENGER'S TIRE BLOW OUT. ALSO, DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S AIRBAGS DEPLOYED, AND THE OCCUPANT SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES. DEALER STATED THAT TIRE BLOWOUT CAUSED THE AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.
WHILE DRIVING, THERE WAS A TREMENDOUS BANG, AND THEN THE VEHICLE STARTED TO SWERVE, CONSUMER PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE AND DISCOVERED THE ENTIRE TIRE HAD SEPARATED, THERRE WAS REALLY NOTHING LEFT ON THE MICHELIN-X-GREEN MX4-195/65/R15 TIRE FOR THE TIRE SHOP TO PRORATE, MECHANIC INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE STEM TORE OFF THE TIRE.8JB
WHILE DRIVING, THERE WAS A TREMENDOUS BANG, AND THEN THE VEHICLE STARTED TO SWERVE, CONSUMER PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE AND DISCOVERED THE ENTIRE TIRE HAD SEPARATED, THERRE WAS REALLY NOTHING LEFT ON THE MICHELIN-X-GREEN MX4-195/65/R15 TIRE FOR THE TIRE SHOP TO PRORATE, MECHANIC INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE STEM TORE OFF THE TIRE.8JB
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 1997 Chrysler Cirrus?
What is the bolt pattern of a 1997 Chrysler Cirrus?
Can I run a different tire size on my 1997 Chrysler Cirrus?
Where can I buy tires for my 1997 Chrysler Cirrus?
What is the recommended tire pressure for the 1997 Chrysler Cirrus?
Can I fit winter tires in a different size on my 1997 Chrysler Cirrus?
How often should I rotate the tires on my 1997 Chrysler Cirrus?
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 Chrysler Cirrus is the authoritative source for OEM tire size, load index, and cold-inflation pressure for your specific trim.
- NHTSA SaferCar; recall lookup for the 1997 Chrysler Cirrus.
- 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.