2017 Lincoln MKZ tire sizes & fitment
Approved tire and wheel sizes for the 2017 Lincoln MKZ, sourced from manufacturer fitment data and refreshed monthly.
Approved fitments
| Tire size | Rim size | PCD (bolt pattern) | Offset | Load index | Speed rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 245/45R18 OEM | R18 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 245/40R19 OEM | R19 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
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 Lincoln MKZ, ranked by category →
Tire recalls & safety complaints for the Lincoln MKZ →
Compatible alternative sizes for 245/45R18
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
275/40R18 |
-0.07% | wider | Safe |
245/40R19 |
0.13% | plus 1 | Safe |
245/50R17 |
-0.13% | alternative | Safe |
225/60R16 |
-0.19% | alternative | Safe |
225/55R17 |
0.24% | winter narrower | Safe |
For the full list of alternatives with comfort/handling impact, see 245/45R18 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 245/45R18 and verdict using the ETRTO ±3% rule.
Common upgrade paths
- Plus-1: 245/40R19; one rim size up, 0.13% OD change. Sharper steering, mild ride penalty, modest cost premium.
- Plus-2: 245/35R20; two rim sizes up, 0.27% 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 2017 lincoln MKZ select
The 2017 Lincoln MKZ Select ships from the factory on 245/45R18 tires mounted on R18 wheels. 2 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 Lincoln MKZ 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 2017 Lincoln MKZ Select 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 2017 Lincoln MKZ Select, 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 2017 lincoln MKZ
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Most reported: Tires (General) (10) · Bead (3) · Sidewall (3) · TPMS (2) · Valve (1)
Reported across: 2007 – 2014 (6 years)
What owners described
Cracking or dry rot appears in 29% of these reports; about 3.1× as often as across all tire complaints. Percentages are shares of the 14 reports covering every model year of the Lincoln MKZ 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cracking or dry rot | 29% | 9% | 3.1× |
| Sidewall failure | 21% | 15% | 1.4× |
| Bubble or bulge in the tire | 14% | 6% | 2.4× |
| Tread or belt separation | 7% | 13% | 0.5× |
| Pressure-monitoring (TPMS) fault | 7% | 2% | 3.0× |
Mileage at failure
9 of these reports state an odometer reading. The middle report is at 37,440 miles, with 8 in 10 falling between 4,491 and 184,187 miles.
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Lincoln MKZ. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 LINCOLN MKZ EQUIPPED WITH PIRELLI TIRES, TIRE SIZE: 245/40R19, TIRE LINE: PZERO NERO ALL SEASON, AND DOT NUMBER UN93L6384813. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE INSPECTING THE VEHICLE, HE DISCOVERED THAT THREE OF THE TIRES EXHIBITED BLISTERS AROUND THE SIDE WALLS. THE TIRES WERE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,491 AND THE VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,510.
THE LOW TIRE PRESSURE SENSOR WARNING LIGHT CAME UP AS WE PULLED AWAY FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND NEVER QUIT LIGHTING UP, REGARDLESS OF THE NUMBER OF TIMES WE TOOK THE CAR TO DEALERS TO HAVE THE ISSUE FIXED. THE CAR WAS PURCHASED AS USED, WITH 43,000 MILES IN MARCH 2012. APPARENTLY, THE MECHANICS AT IRWIN LINCOLN DEALERSHIP IN NJ ARE CLUELESS, AND THE ONLY REMEDY SEEMS TO BE THE PURCHASE OF NEW WHEELS, AT A COST OF ROUGHLY $2,000. OTHERWISE, THE CAR IS IN GREAT SHAPE, BUT THE SENSOR PROBLEM IS EXTREMELY ANNOYING.
THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 LINCOLN MKZ. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER AND DRIVER SIDE TIRES BECAME FLAT. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE TIRES WERE INFLATED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT BOTH OF THE REAR TIRES EXHIBITED THE FAILURE AS WELL. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED AND WAS FOUND THAT THE TIRE VALVE STEMS WERE CRACK AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF A CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000.
2014 LINCOLN MKZ. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE TIRE ISSUES AND REIMBURSEMENT FOR TIRE REPLACEMENTS. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE DID NOT PASS INSPECTION, BECAUSE A BUBBLE HAD FORMED ON THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE IN THE SIDEWALL. THE TIRE WAS REPLACED AT A COST OF $ 250. ON MARCH 16, 2015, THE RIGHT REAR TIRE WAS REPLACED DUE TO A BUBBLE FOUND IN THE SIDEWALL. ON MAY 13, 2015 DURING A SERVICE VISIT AT THE DEALER, THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THE FRONT TIRES HAD SIDEWALL BUBBLES AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *JB THE CONSUMER STATED FIVE TIRES OVER THE LAST FOUR MONTHS HAD SIDEWALL BUBBLES. UPDATED 02/01/16.
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 2017 Lincoln MKZ?
Can I run a different tire size on my 2017 Lincoln MKZ?
Where can I buy tires for my 2017 Lincoln MKZ?
What is the recommended tire pressure for the 2017 Lincoln MKZ?
Can I fit winter tires in a different size on my 2017 Lincoln MKZ?
How often should I rotate the tires on my 2017 Lincoln MKZ?
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 Lincoln MKZ is the authoritative source for OEM tire size, load index, and cold-inflation pressure for your specific trim.
- NHTSA SaferCar; recall lookup for the 2017 Lincoln MKZ.
- 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.