1997 Mitsubishi diamante tire sizes & fitment
Approved tire and wheel sizes for the 1997 Mitsubishi Diamante, sourced from manufacturer fitment data and refreshed monthly.
Approved fitments
| Tire size | Rim size | PCD (bolt pattern) | Offset | Load index | Speed rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 215/60R16 OEM | R16 | 5x114.3 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
1997 Mitsubishi diamante wheel bolt pattern & specs
| Bolt pattern (PCD) | 5x114.3 |
|---|---|
| Wheel thread / lug size | M12x1.5 |
| Center bore | 67.1 mm |
| Source | adaptitusa-reference |
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 Mitsubishi Diamante, ranked by category →
Tire recalls & safety complaints for the Mitsubishi Diamante →
Compatible alternative sizes for 215/60R16
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
235/55R16 |
0.08% | wider | Safe |
185/70R16 |
0.15% | winter narrower | Safe |
205/75R14 |
-0.20% | alternative | Safe |
195/60R17 |
0.21% | plus 1 | Safe |
235/60R15 |
-0.21% | alternative | Safe |
For the full list of alternatives with comfort/handling impact, see 215/60R16 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 215/60R16 and verdict using the ETRTO ±3% rule.
Common upgrade paths
- Plus-1: 195/60R17; one rim size up, 0.21% OD change. Sharper steering, mild ride penalty, modest cost premium.
- Plus-2: 205/50R18; two rim sizes up, -0.33% 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 mitsubishi diamante LS
The 1997 Mitsubishi Diamante LS ships from the factory on 215/60R16 tires mounted on R16 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 Mitsubishi Diamante 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 Mitsubishi Diamante LS 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 Mitsubishi Diamante LS, 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 mitsubishi diamante
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Most reported: Tires (General) (1) · Tread / Belt (1)
Reported across: 1997 – 1997 (1 year)
What owners described
Blowout or sudden deflation is the most common description, in 24% of these reports. Percentages are shares of the 17 reports covering every model year of the Mitsubishi Diamante 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 | 24% | 20% | 1.2× |
| Sidewall failure | 12% | 15% | 0.8× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 12% | 8% | 1.4× |
| Cracking or dry rot | 6% | 9% | 0.6× |
| Premature or uneven wear | 6% | 1% | 4.5× |
Mileage at failure
13 of these reports state an odometer reading. The middle report is at 13,000 miles, with 8 in 10 falling between 2,000 and 198,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Mitsubishi Diamante. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE EQUIPPED WITH COOPER CS3 TIRES (NA). WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, AIR FROM THE VEHICLE'S FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE BEGAN TO BE RELEASED. THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE INTO A FUEL STATION/REPAIR SHOP WHERE THE TIRE WAS REPLACED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC THAT SOLD HIM THE TIRES. THE TIRES WERE MEASURED AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT EACH OF THEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE TIRE SIZE WAS UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 198,000 AND THE VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 216,242.
BRAKES OVERHEATED/CRACKED AND HAD WARPED WHEN APPLIED WHILE DRIVING. FOUND OUT THAT BRAKES WERE UNDERRATED ALONG WITH TIRES BY GOODYEAR. DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS UNTIL LATER. *AK CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE USES AUSTRALIAN GOODYEAR TIRES, GTA 205/65R15 H1530, TIRES WERE REPLACED WITH AMERICAN EQUIVALENT GOODYEAR TIRES AND WHILE DRIVING ON ARIZONA HIGHWAYS, TIRES WOBBLE AND BECOME UNSTABLE AFTER 15-20 MINUTES, 3 OTHER TYPES OF GOODYEAR TIRES WERE TRIED, HOWEVER ALL TYPES EXPERIENCED SAME SCENARIO, GOODYEAR HEADQUARTERS INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE LOAD RATING OF THESE TIRES WERE ONLY 1400 POUNDS WHICH MAY BE INADEQUATE FOR THE 5000 POUND VEHICLE, THE HEAT FROM THE UNDERRATED TIRES STRESSES BRAKE ROTORS, VEHICLE HAS HAD 3 SETS OF ROTORS DUE TO OVERHEATING. *SLC
KUMHO 716 HP4 P215-60-16 94H DOT # 4TL1-YP71-2501 H-RATED TIRES WERE NOT THE CORRECT RATING THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PUT ON VEHICLE. CONTACTED DEALER WHO WAS NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING.*AK CONSUMER ALSO STATES THAT CD PLAYER IS INOPERATIVE, NO RADIO CODE STORED, ARMREST COMPARTMENT HOOK LOCK BROKEN, POWER STEERING FLUID ON MINIMUM LEVEL.
CONSUMER STATES PURCHASED NEW TIRE ON 12/6/02. ON 12/24/02 WHILE DRIVING TIRE BLEWOUT CAUSING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO VEHICLE. TIRE INFO: B.F. GOODRICH PH P205/65R15 RIGHT FRONT TIRE 30 MILES ON TIRE DAMAGE TO VEHICLE TIRE NOT ORIGINAL
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 Mitsubishi Diamante?
What is the bolt pattern of a 1997 Mitsubishi Diamante?
Can I run a different tire size on my 1997 Mitsubishi Diamante?
Where can I buy tires for my 1997 Mitsubishi Diamante?
What is the recommended tire pressure for the 1997 Mitsubishi Diamante?
Can I fit winter tires in a different size on my 1997 Mitsubishi Diamante?
How often should I rotate the tires on my 1997 Mitsubishi Diamante?
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 Mitsubishi Diamante 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 Mitsubishi Diamante.
- 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.