2008 Saturn aura tire sizes & fitment
Approved tire and wheel sizes for the 2008 Saturn Aura, sourced from manufacturer fitment data and refreshed monthly.
Approved fitments
| Tire size | Rim size | PCD (bolt pattern) | Offset | Load index | Speed rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 225/50R18 OEM | R18 | 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
Bridgestone
Turanza QuietTrack
Lowest cost per mile in this size; UTQG 800
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 Saturn Aura, ranked by category →
Tire recalls & safety complaints for the Saturn Aura →
Compatible alternative sizes for 225/50R18
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
205/55R18 |
0.07% | winter narrower | Safe |
195/45R20 |
0.19% | plus 2 | Safe |
215/40R20 |
-0.32% | plus 2 | Safe |
245/35R20 |
-0.40% | plus 2 | Safe |
195/70R16 |
-0.41% | alternative | Safe |
For the full list of alternatives with comfort/handling impact, see 225/50R18 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 225/50R18 and verdict using the ETRTO ±3% rule.
Common upgrade paths
- Plus-1: 225/45R19; one rim size up, 0.43% OD change. Sharper steering, mild ride penalty, modest cost premium.
- Plus-2: 195/45R20; two rim sizes up, 0.19% 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 2008 saturn aura XR
The 2008 Saturn Aura XR ships from the factory on 225/50R18 tires mounted on R18 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 Saturn Aura 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 2008 Saturn Aura XR 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 2008 Saturn Aura XR, 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 2008 saturn aura
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Most reported: Tires (General) (2) · TPMS (1)
Reported across: 2008 – 2008 (1 year)
What owners described
Bubble or bulge in the tire appears in 22% of these reports; about 3.8× as often as across all tire complaints. Percentages are shares of the 9 reports covering every model year of the Saturn Aura 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bubble or bulge in the tire | 22% | 6% | 3.8× |
| Tread or belt separation | 11% | 13% | 0.8× |
| Sidewall failure | 11% | 15% | 0.7× |
Mileage at failure
5 of these reports state an odometer reading. The middle report is at 13,000 miles, with 8 in 10 falling between 4,000 and 90,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Saturn Aura. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
2007 SATURN AURA STORED INDOORS ALWAYS.40,964 MILES ONLY.1METAL BELT EXPOSED. REPLACED 2 TIRES. 5MOS LATER BELT SEPARATION IN SAME BRAND TIRE. AUTO PRESSURE CHECK SYSTEM (COMPUTER HAS OBSERVED CORRECT TIRE PRESSURE FOR LIFE OF TIRE). TIRES STILL LOOK NEW PLENTY OF TREAD (AT LEAST1/4").
I PURCHASED A SET OF FOUR NEW KUMHO TIRES; THE NEXT DAY WHILE ACCELERATING AFTER A FULL STOP AT A YIELD SIGN, THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT TIRE SUDDENLY DECOMPRESSED. THE WHEEL COVER BROKE AND TRAVELED ACROSS THE ROAD INTO A FIELD. THE TIRE BEAD APPARENTLY UNSEALED. THE CAR STOPPED SAFELY AND THERE IS NO OTHER DAMAGE OTHER TAN THE TIRE AND WHEEL COVER.
THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SATURN AURA. WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO MAKE AN ABNORMAL SOUND WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE WAS PERSISTENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE RACK AND PINION FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 44,000. UPDATED 06/08/2016*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED HE RECEIVED TWO CONFLICTING INSPECTIONS. HE WAS TOLD THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE RACK AND PINION, AND THEN HE WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO ISSUE. THE TIRES HAVE SINCE WORN OUT AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. UPDATED 06/29/16.
THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SATURN AURA. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE SUDDENLY DEFLATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TIRE PRESSURE SENSOR MONITOR FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
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 2008 Saturn Aura?
Can I run a different tire size on my 2008 Saturn Aura?
Where can I buy tires for my 2008 Saturn Aura?
What is the recommended tire pressure for the 2008 Saturn Aura?
Can I fit winter tires in a different size on my 2008 Saturn Aura?
How often should I rotate the tires on my 2008 Saturn Aura?
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 Saturn Aura is the authoritative source for OEM tire size, load index, and cold-inflation pressure for your specific trim.
- NHTSA SaferCar; recall lookup for the 2008 Saturn Aura.
- 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.