2002 Pontiac bonneville tire sizes & fitment
Approved tire and wheel sizes for the 2002 Pontiac Bonneville, sourced from manufacturer fitment data and refreshed monthly.
Approved fitments
| Tire size | Rim size | PCD (bolt pattern) | Offset | Load index | Speed rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 235/55R17 OEM | R17 | 5x115 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 225/60R16 OEM | R16 | 5x115 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
2002 Pontiac bonneville wheel bolt pattern & specs
| Bolt pattern (PCD) | 5x115 |
|---|---|
| Wheel thread / lug size | M12x1.5 |
| Center bore | 70.3 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 Pontiac Bonneville, ranked by category →
Tire recalls & safety complaints for the Pontiac Bonneville →
Plus-size and winter-downsize options for every Pontiac Bonneville factory size →
Compatible alternative sizes for 235/55R17
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
215/60R17 |
-0.07% | winter narrower | Safe |
205/75R15 |
-0.26% | alternative | Safe |
235/60R16 |
-0.28% | alternative | Safe |
235/50R18 |
0.28% | plus 1 | Safe |
205/50R19 |
-0.39% | plus 2 | Safe |
For the full list of alternatives with comfort/handling impact, see 235/55R17 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 235/55R17 and verdict using the ETRTO ±3% rule.
Common upgrade paths
- Plus-1: 235/50R18; one rim size up, 0.28% OD change. Sharper steering, mild ride penalty, modest cost premium.
- Plus-2: 205/50R19; two rim sizes up, -0.39% 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 2002 pontiac bonneville
The 2002 Pontiac Bonneville ships from the factory on 235/55R17 tires mounted on R17 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 Pontiac Bonneville 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 2002 Pontiac Bonneville 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 2002 Pontiac Bonneville, 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 2002 pontiac bonneville
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Reported across: 2002 – 2002 (1 year)
What owners described
Blowout or sudden deflation is the most common description, in 28% of these reports. Percentages are shares of the 25 reports covering every model year of the Pontiac Bonneville 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 | 28% | 20% | 1.4× |
| Tread or belt separation | 16% | 13% | 1.2× |
| Sidewall failure | 16% | 15% | 1.1× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 8% | 8% | 1.0× |
| Cracking or dry rot | 4% | 9% | 0.4× |
| Premature or uneven wear | 4% | 1% | 3.1× |
Mileage at failure
6 of these reports state an odometer reading. The middle report is at 36,625 miles, with 8 in 10 falling between 12,351 and 94,638 miles.
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Pontiac Bonneville. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
ON 8/16/00, I TOOK MY '97 BONNEVILLE TO EFFINGHAM TIRE AND AUTO TO SEE IF THE TIRES NEEDED BALANCED OR ALIGNED. I'D HAD A SUDDEN ONSET OF RUMBLING AND VIBRATION ABOUT TEN DAYS OR SO BEFORE. THE TIRE TECHNICIAN CALLED ME INTO THE GARAGE AREA AND SHOWED ME THE EXTREME AND UNEVEN WEAR ON MY RIGHT FRONT TIRE. HE SAID A STEEL BELT HAD BROKEN ON THE WORN EDGE AND "WHEN THEY DO THAT THEY BUNCH UP". HE SAID THAT TIRE HAD THINGS SO BADLY OUT OF LINE THAT IT HAD CAUSED MY LEFT TIRE TO WEAR AT AN ANGLE (MY TERM). I WAS ASKED TO AND DID FEEL HOW ONE SIDE OF THE TREADS WERE "SHARP" AND THE OPPOSITE SIDE WAS WORN. ACCORDING TO THE DEALER, I HAD WORN OFF 45% OF THE TIRE TREAD ON THESE 60,000 MILE WARRANTY TIRES WHILE DRIVING ONLY 8,762 MOSTLY INTERSTATE MILES IN FOUR MONTHS!!!
RIGHT REAR SIDEWALL HAD SPLIT ALL AROUND AFTER TRAVELING 70MPH WHEN IT EXPLODED. THERE WAS NO TYPE OF WARNING. TIRE BLEWOUT FROM INSIDE/OUTSIDE AND RIPPED. WAS ATTACHED TO RIM. GOODYEAR EAGLE GA (CANADA), P225/60R16 WITH 500 MILES. NOT ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. *AK DOT 0289055. *SLC
AT 65 MPH THE TREAD PEELED AWAY FROM TIRE CAUSING A LOSS OF CONTROL.THEY TIRE KEPT ITS AIR AND I DROVE ON THE BELTS FOR AID.THERE WAS 50000 MILES ON THE TIRE BUT THEY (THE OTHER REAR WAS THE SAME TYPE)HAD GOOD TREAD ON THEM.I BOUGHT TWO NEW TIRESTHE NEXT DAY.THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT DUE TO THE SPARCE TRAFFIC ON THE ROAD.
I PURCHASED 4 CONTINENTAL TOURING TIES IN THE SPRING OF 2002. THE TIRES WERE PURCHASED IN SETS OF 2, ONE MONTH APART. THREE OF THE TIRES FAILED THROUGH TREAD SEPARATION. I REPLACED THE FOURTH TIRE WITHOUT WAITING FOR THE TREAD TO SEPARATE ON IT.
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 2002 Pontiac Bonneville?
What is the bolt pattern of a 2002 Pontiac Bonneville?
Can I run a different tire size on my 2002 Pontiac Bonneville?
Where can I buy tires for my 2002 Pontiac Bonneville?
What is the recommended tire pressure for the 2002 Pontiac Bonneville?
Can I fit winter tires in a different size on my 2002 Pontiac Bonneville?
How often should I rotate the tires on my 2002 Pontiac Bonneville?
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 Pontiac Bonneville is the authoritative source for OEM tire size, load index, and cold-inflation pressure for your specific trim.
- NHTSA SaferCar; recall lookup for the 2002 Pontiac Bonneville.
- 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.