1997 Plymouth neon tire sizes & fitment
Approved tire and wheel sizes for the 1997 Plymouth Neon, sourced from manufacturer fitment data and refreshed monthly.
Approved fitments
| Tire size | Rim size | PCD (bolt pattern) | Offset | Load index | Speed rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 185/65R14 OEM | R14 | 4x100 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 175/65R14 OEM | R14 | 4x100 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 185/60R14 OEM | R14 | 4x100 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 175/70R14 OEM | R14 | 4x100 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
1997 Plymouth neon wheel bolt pattern & specs
| Bolt pattern (PCD) | 4x100 |
|---|---|
| Wheel thread / lug size | M12x1.5 |
| Center bore | 57.1 mm |
| Source | adaptitusa-reference |
Best by use case
Four tires, four jobs
Best all-season
Bridgestone
Blizzak WS90
winter touring
Best budget
Falken
Sincera SN250 A/S
Lowest cost per mile in this size; UTQG 720
Best quiet
Bridgestone
Blizzak WS90
71 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 Plymouth Neon, ranked by category →
Tire recalls & safety complaints for the Plymouth Neon →
Plus-size and winter-downsize options for every Plymouth Neon factory size →
Compatible alternative sizes for 185/65R14
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
215/50R15 |
-0.02% | plus 1 | Safe |
165/65R15 |
-0.10% | plus 1 | Safe |
195/55R15 |
-0.10% | plus 1 | Safe |
205/65R13 |
0.10% | alternative | Safe |
165/80R13 |
-0.32% | winter narrower | Safe |
For the full list of alternatives with comfort/handling impact, see 185/65R14 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 185/65R14 and verdict using the ETRTO ±3% rule.
Common upgrade paths
- Plus-1: 215/50R15; one rim size up, -0.02% OD change. Sharper steering, mild ride penalty, modest cost premium.
- Plus-2: 175/55R16; two rim sizes up, 0.47% 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 plymouth neon
The 1997 Plymouth Neon ships from the factory on 185/65R14 tires mounted on R14 wheels. 4 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 Plymouth Neon 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 Plymouth Neon 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 Plymouth Neon, 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 plymouth neon
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Most reported: Tires (General) (4) · Tread / Belt (1)
Reported across: 1997 – 1997 (1 year)
What owners described
Blowout or sudden deflation appears in 40% of these reports; about 2.0× as often as across all tire complaints. Percentages are shares of the 10 reports covering every model year of the Plymouth Neon 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 | 40% | 20% | 2.0× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 30% | 8% | 3.6× |
| Tread or belt separation | 20% | 13% | 1.5× |
| Sidewall failure | 10% | 15% | 0.7× |
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Plymouth Neon. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM THE GROCERY STORE (LESS THAN 2 MILES AWAY), I EXPERIENCED A BLOWOUT OF THE FOREMENTIONED TIRE. MY SPEED AT THE TIME WAS LESS THAN 30 MPH, AS I HAD JUST COMPLETED A LEFT TURN AFTER A FULL STOP AT A TRAFFIC SIGNAL. UPON REMOVING THE TIRE, I FOUND A SLASH ON THE INWARD WALL, WITH NO OTHER SIGNS OF DAMAGE. THE SLASH IS APPX 3 INCHES LONG, 2 INCHES FROM THE TREAD, PERPENDICULAR TO THE RIM.
THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 PLYMOUTH NEON WITH MERIT MYSTIC TOURING TR TIRES, THE SIZE WAS 195/65/R14 AND THE DOT# U9ABHU42802D13L. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. AFTER SLOWING DOWN, SHE NOTICED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER TIRE BELT HAD SEPARATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO ADVISED HER NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE BECAUSE ANOTHER TIRE WAS SHOWING PREMATURE BELT SEPARATION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND OFFERED HER AN OPTION. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 4,000.
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 Plymouth Neon?
What is the bolt pattern of a 1997 Plymouth Neon?
Can I run a different tire size on my 1997 Plymouth Neon?
Where can I buy tires for my 1997 Plymouth Neon?
What is the recommended tire pressure for the 1997 Plymouth Neon?
Can I fit winter tires in a different size on my 1997 Plymouth Neon?
How often should I rotate the tires on my 1997 Plymouth Neon?
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 Plymouth Neon 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 Plymouth Neon.
- 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.