2021 Jeep cherokee tire sizes & fitment
Approved tire and wheel sizes for the 2021 Jeep Cherokee, sourced from manufacturer fitment data and refreshed monthly.
Approved fitments
| Tire size | Rim size | PCD (bolt pattern) | Offset | Load index | Speed rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 245/65R17 OEM | R17 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Best by use case
Four tires, four jobs
See the best tires for the Jeep Cherokee, ranked by category →
Tire recalls & safety complaints for the Jeep Cherokee →
Compatible alternative sizes for 245/65R17
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
215/80R16 |
0.01% | winter narrower | Safe |
265/60R17 |
-0.07% | wider | Safe |
225/65R18 |
-0.08% | plus 1 | Safe |
265/65R16 |
0.08% | alternative | Safe |
245/70R16 |
-0.12% | alternative | Safe |
For the full list of alternatives with comfort/handling impact, see 245/65R17 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 245/65R17 and verdict using the ETRTO ±3% rule.
Common upgrade paths
- Plus-1: 225/65R18; one rim size up, -0.08% OD change. Sharper steering, mild ride penalty, modest cost premium.
- Plus-2: 245/55R19; two rim sizes up, 0.24% 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 2021 jeep cherokee trailhawk
The 2021 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk ships from the factory on 245/65R17 tires mounted on R17 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 Jeep Cherokee 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 2021 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk 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 2021 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk, 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 2021 jeep cherokee
Top issue category: Sidewall
Reported across: 2021 – 2021 (1 year)
What owners described
Blowout or sudden deflation is the most common description, in 22% of these reports. Percentages are shares of the 86 reports covering every model year of the Jeep Cherokee 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 | 22% | 20% | 1.1× |
| Sidewall failure | 19% | 15% | 1.2× |
| Tread or belt separation | 13% | 13% | 1.0× |
| Cracking or dry rot | 13% | 9% | 1.4× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 13% | 8% | 1.5× |
| Bubble or bulge in the tire | 1% | 6% | 0.2× |
Mileage at failure
20 of these reports state an odometer reading. The middle report is at 12,000 miles, with 8 in 10 falling between 2,000 and 30,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Jeep Cherokee. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
TRAVELING EAST ON HWY 76 JUST OUTSIDE JULESBURG, CO, MY RIGHT REAR TIRE SIDEWALL BLEW OUT AT 75MPH. TIRE PRESSURES WERE AT 35 PSI ON ALL TIRES BEFORE TRIP A FEW DAYS EARLIER. TIRES HAVE ABOUT 20,000 MILES ON THEM AND HAVE ABOUT 45% REMAINING TREAD. BLOWOUT PATTERN WAS A NEAR PERFECT CIRCLE WHERE THE SIDEWALL MEETS THE TREAD AREA OF THE TIRE. DAMAGE TO VEHICLE CONSISTED OF BENT REAR QUARTER PANEL.
TIRES SHOW CRACKS IN TREAD ON ALL 4 TIRES. APPEARS TO BE DRY ROT CRACKING, THIS IN 2 YEAR OLD TIRES. PROBLEM WAS FIRST DISCOVERED WHEN DRIVER SIDE FRONT TIRE CONTINUED TO LOOSE AIR. WAS ADVISED BY TIRE PROFESSIONALS THAT TIRES WERE NOT SAFE TO USE IN HIGHWAY DRIVING CONDITIONS. REPLACED THE TIRES AT MY EXPENSE SINCE CONTINENTAL WILL NOT WARRANT SECOND OWNER OF VEHICLE. PICTURES ARE AVAILABLE IF DESIRED
VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW ON 4/16/16 IN LANSING MICHIGAN. HAVE CONSISTENTLY HAD ISSUES WITH TIRES HOLDING CORRECT PRESSURE. HAVE DOCUMENTATION THAT DEALERSHIP ACKNOWLEDGED LOSS OF PRESSURE, BUT NO LEAKS FOUND. WILL NOT REPLACE TIRES UNDER WARRANTY. NO DAMAGE HAS BEEN SUSTAINED TO ANY OF THE TIRES AT ANY TIME. ALL FOUR TIRES DEFECTIVE.
VEHICLE HAS HAD AN ON GOING PROBLEM SINCE THE 4TH DAY AFTER I BOUGHT IT, IT HAS A VIBRATION AT 55-65 MPH. THE TIRES HAVE BEEN BALANCED COUNTLESS TIMES, THE DRIVE SHAFT HAS BEEN REPLACED THE TRANSFERCASE HAS BEEN LOWERED, THE WHEELS HAVE BEEN REPLACED, THE TIRES WERE REPLACED, THE TRANSFER CASE HAS BEEN OVERHAULED COUNTLESS TIMES IN AT DEALER TO REPAIR AND STILL HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED. ADDITIONALLY BRAKES PADS AND ROTORS WERE REPLACED FOR A PULSATION, TRANSFER CASE OUTPUT SEAL WAS REPLACED FOR A LEAK, AND LITTLE ODDS AND ENDS. ( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P225/75/15 )
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 2021 Jeep Cherokee?
Can I run a different tire size on my 2021 Jeep Cherokee?
Where can I buy tires for my 2021 Jeep Cherokee?
What is the recommended tire pressure for the 2021 Jeep Cherokee?
Can I fit winter tires in a different size on my 2021 Jeep Cherokee?
How often should I rotate the tires on my 2021 Jeep Cherokee?
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 Jeep Cherokee is the authoritative source for OEM tire size, load index, and cold-inflation pressure for your specific trim.
- NHTSA SaferCar; recall lookup for the 2021 Jeep Cherokee.
- 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.