1998 Ford windstar tire sizes & fitment
Approved tire and wheel sizes for the 1998 Ford Windstar, sourced from manufacturer fitment data and refreshed monthly.
Approved fitments
| Tire size | Rim size | PCD (bolt pattern) | Offset | Load index | Speed rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 225/60R16 OEM | R16 | 5x108 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 205/70R15 OEM | 6x15 | 5x108 | 42mm | 95 | S |
| 215/70R15 OEM | 6.5x15 | 5x108 | 42mm | 97 | S |
| 205/70R15 OEM | R15 | 5x108 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 215/70R15 OEM | R15 | 5x108 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
1998 Ford windstar wheel bolt pattern & specs
| Bolt pattern (PCD) | 5x108 |
|---|---|
| Wheel thread / lug size | M12x1.5 |
| Center bore | 63.4 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 Ford Windstar, ranked by category →
Tire recalls & safety complaints for the Ford Windstar →
Plus-size and winter-downsize options for every Ford Windstar factory size →
Compatible alternative sizes for 225/60R16
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
245/50R17 |
0.06% | plus 1 | Safe |
245/55R16 |
-0.07% | wider | Safe |
245/45R18 |
0.19% | plus 2 | Safe |
205/60R17 |
0.21% | plus 1 | Safe |
245/60R15 |
-0.21% | alternative | Safe |
For the full list of alternatives with comfort/handling impact, see 225/60R16 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 225/60R16 and verdict using the ETRTO ±3% rule.
Common upgrade paths
- Plus-1: 245/50R17; one rim size up, 0.06% OD change. Sharper steering, mild ride penalty, modest cost premium.
- Plus-2: 245/45R18; two rim sizes up, 0.19% 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 ford windstar
The 1998 Ford Windstar ships from the factory on 225/60R16 tires mounted on R16 wheels. 3 approved fitments are documented for this model year, allowing some flexibility between performance, comfort, and winter compounds. The Compatible alternative sizes table above lists every safe substitution within the ETRTO ±3% overall-diameter tolerance.
Tire choice on the Ford Windstar 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 Ford Windstar 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 Ford Windstar, 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 ford windstar
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Most reported: Tires (General) (36) · Tread / Belt (17) · Bead (2) · Sidewall (1) · Valve (1)
Reported across: 1998 – 1998 (1 year)
What owners described
Blowout or sudden deflation is the most common description, in 21% of these reports. Percentages are shares of the 140 reports covering every model year of the Ford Windstar 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 | 21% | 20% | 1.1× |
| Cracking or dry rot | 14% | 9% | 1.5× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 14% | 8% | 1.6× |
| Tread or belt separation | 10% | 13% | 0.7× |
| Sidewall failure | 8% | 15% | 0.5× |
| Bubble or bulge in the tire | 4% | 6% | 0.6× |
Mileage at failure
52 of these reports state an odometer reading. The middle report is at 26,000 miles, with 8 in 10 falling between 12,000 and 99,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Ford Windstar. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
SIDEWALL SPLIT ON BRIDGESTONE INSIGNIA SE 200, SIZE 215X70R15, DOT # WBM3 E20 0210. MILEAGE ON TIRE 39K, STILL GOOD TREAD DEPTH. I STILL HAVE TIRE IF ANY AGENCY WOULD LIKE TO INSPECT. DIDN'T TAKE IT BACK TO BRIDGESTONE B/C FROM WHAT I HAVE READ, THEY WOULD DO NOTHING ABOUT IT.
AFTER TOTAL FAILURE OF ONE TIRE, I TOOK MY VEHICLE INTO A GOODYEAR SERVICE CENTER AND WAS INFORMED THAT 3 OF MY 4 TIRES SUFFERED FROM SIDEWALL CRACKING. ALL FOUR TIRES WERE PURCHASED AND MOUNTED ONTO MY VAN AT 54381 MILES ON 22 AUGUST 1998. THE DEFECTIVE TIRES WERE REMOVED FROM MY VAN WHEN IT HAD 85611 MILES. THE TIRES HAD COLLECTED A TOTAL OF 31230 MILES. I BELIEVE THE TIRES WERE RATED FOR 65000 MILES.
I HAVE EXPERIANCED "RAPID DEPRESSURIZATION" OF THE LR TIRE ON MY MINI-VAN CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO CROSS THE CENTERLINE. I WAS ABLE TO RETURN TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AVOIDING AN ACCIDENT. AFTER I CAME TO A STOP THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE SIDEWALL 11/2 IN. WIDE BY 3" HIGH. THESE TIRES HAVE NOT BEEN ABUSED, ALWAYS PROPERLY INFLATED, NOT OVERLOADED AND PROPERLY ROTATED AND INSPECTED. THE CAUSE (PER GOODYEAR DEALER) WAS PLY SEPERATION WHERE THE TREAD MEETS THE SIDEWALL.
THE LEFT REAR TIRE ON MY MINIVAN BLEW OUT ON SOUTHBOUND I-75 AT MILE MARKER 309 ON TUESDAY SEPT. 5. THE TIRE FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO A CONTROLLED STOP WITH NO INJURIES AND NO VEHICLE DAMAGE OTHER THAN THE TIRE. CONTINENTAL GENERAL CLAIMS THIS FAILURE IS DUE TO "ROAD HAZARD" BUT THERE ARE NO CUTS, SCRATCHES, OR PUNCTURES THAT MAKES ME BELIEVE THIS IS TRUE. THE TIRE HAD ABOUT 6500 MILES ON IT. OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE WAS ABOUT 80 DEGREES AND I WAS DRIVING ON SMOOTH PAVEMENT. I HAVE THE TIRE AVAILABLE FOR YOUR INSPECTION.
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 Ford Windstar?
What is the bolt pattern of a 1998 Ford Windstar?
Can I run a different tire size on my 1998 Ford Windstar?
Where can I buy tires for my 1998 Ford Windstar?
What is the recommended tire pressure for the 1998 Ford Windstar?
Can I fit winter tires in a different size on my 1998 Ford Windstar?
How often should I rotate the tires on my 1998 Ford Windstar?
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 Ford Windstar 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 Ford Windstar.
- 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 2026-10-07.