2008 Volkswagen routan tire sizes & fitment
Approved tire and wheel sizes for the 2008 Volkswagen Routan, sourced from manufacturer fitment data and refreshed monthly.
Approved fitments
| Tire size | Rim size | PCD (bolt pattern) | Offset | Load index | Speed rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 225/65R16 OEM | 6.5x16 | N/A | 40mm | 100 | S |
| 225/65R17 OEM | 6.5x17 | N/A | 40mm | 100 | T |
Best by use case
Four tires, four jobs
Best all-season
Michelin
Defender 2
all-season touring, UTQG 800, 80,000-mi warranty
Best budget
Continental
TrueContact tour
Lowest cost per mile in this size; UTQG 800
Best quiet
Michelin
Defender 2
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 Volkswagen Routan, ranked by category →
Tire recalls & safety complaints for the Volkswagen Routan →
Compatible alternative sizes for 225/65R16
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
195/75R16 |
0.00% | winter narrower | Safe |
245/70R14 |
-0.04% | alternative | Safe |
205/65R17 |
-0.09% | plus 1 | Safe |
245/65R15 |
0.09% | alternative | Safe |
215/80R14 |
0.10% | alternative | Safe |
For the full list of alternatives with comfort/handling impact, see 225/65R16 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 225/65R16 and verdict using the ETRTO ±3% rule.
Common upgrade paths
- Plus-1: 205/65R17; one rim size up, -0.09% OD change. Sharper steering, mild ride penalty, modest cost premium.
- Plus-2: 245/50R18; 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 2008 volkswagen routan
The 2008 Volkswagen Routan ships from the factory on 225/65R16 tires mounted on 6.5x16 wheels, with a load index of 100 and a speed rating of S. 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 Volkswagen Routan comes down to three trade-offs that matter more than brand loyalty: load index (must equal or exceed the OEM number, in this case 100), speed rating (must match or exceed the placard, here S), 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 Volkswagen Routan 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 Volkswagen Routan, 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 volkswagen routan
Top issue category: TPMS
Most reported: TPMS (5) · Valve (4) · Tires (General) (2)
Reported across: 2009 – 2010 (2 years)
What owners described
Pressure-monitoring (TPMS) fault appears in 27% of these reports; about 11.4× as often as across all tire complaints. Percentages are shares of the 11 reports covering every model year of the Volkswagen Routan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pressure-monitoring (TPMS) fault | 27% | 2% | 11.4× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 18% | 8% | 2.2× |
| Blowout or sudden deflation | 9% | 20% | 0.5× |
| Cracking or dry rot | 9% | 9% | 1.0× |
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Volkswagen Routan. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE RAPIDLY DEFLATED CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO PULL RIGHT INTO ON COMING TRAFFIC. THE NEAR MISS COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL. UPON INVESTIGATION IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE CAUSE WAS CORROSION OF THE TPMS VALVE. I DID A QUICK INTERNET INVESTIGATION AND LEARNED THAT THE CORROSION AND RESULTING TIRE FAILURE ARE COMMON INCIDENTS. WHY HAVEN'T THESE FAULTY TPMS VALVES BEEN RECALLED? THIS ISSUE WILL SURELY RESULT IN DEATHS WHICH I BELIEVE IS THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT THESE TPMS SENSORS ARE FOR.
THE VALVE STEM BROKE OFF WHEN I WENT TO PUT AIR IN IT AND THE TIRE (FRONT DRIVER SIDE) IMMEDIATELY DEFLATED. THE VALVE STEM IS METAL AND APPARENTLY CORRODED. ABOUT A MONTH LATER THE REAR DRIVER SIDE BEGAN TO LEAK AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. THEN TODAY (3/4/14) THE VALVE STEM BROKE OFF THE PASSENGER FRONT TIRE WHEN I WENT TO UNSCREW THE CAP (I COULD HEAR AIR HISSING OUT BEFORE I EVEN TOUCHED IT). IF THIS HAD HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING, I COULD HAVE HAD A SERIOUS ACCIDENT.
WHILE TRYING TO CHECK THE TIRE PRESSURE, THE VALVE STEMS BROKE OFF ON TWO OF THE TIRES (ONE IN THE FRONT, ONE IN THE REAR) CAUSING THE TIRES TO DEFLATE COMPLETELY WITHIN 10 SECONDS. HAD THIS OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THIS INCIDENT WOULD LIKELY HAVE RENDERED THE VEHICLE UNCONTROLLABLE WITH POTENTIALLY SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES TO THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PASSENGERS AND OTHERS. THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THE VALVES BUT HAS ADVISED ME THAT THIS ISSUE IS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY. SINCE MY VEHICLE IS PROBABLY NOT THE ONLY ONE AFFECTED I WILL TRY TO CARRY THIS TO A HIGHER LEVEL THROUGH MY DEALERSHIP.
THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 VOLKSWAGEN ROUTAN. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT. THE CONTACT REMOVED THE TIRE AND REPLACED IT WITH THE SPARE TIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIANS STATED THE TIRE SENSOR VALVE HAD CORRODED CAUSING THE TIRE TO BLOW OUT. THE TECHNICIANS STATED THAT THE REPAIR WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE VALVE WAS REPLACED WITH A RUBBER VALVE INSTEAD OF THE ALUMINUM VALVE THAT WAS ORIGINALLY ON THE VEHICLE WHICH HAD A SENSOR ATTACHED TO IT. THE SENSOR WAS NOT REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 33,000.
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 2008 Volkswagen Routan?
Can I run a different tire size on my 2008 Volkswagen Routan?
Where can I buy tires for my 2008 Volkswagen Routan?
What is the recommended tire pressure for the 2008 Volkswagen Routan?
Can I fit winter tires in a different size on my 2008 Volkswagen Routan?
How often should I rotate the tires on my 2008 Volkswagen Routan?
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 Volkswagen Routan 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 Volkswagen Routan.
- 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.