11R22.5 vs 295/75R22.5: Which Size Does Your Truck Take?

The two numbers describe the tire two different ways

11R22.5 is the older, imperial way of writing it: 11 inches of section width, R for radial, on a 22.5-inch rim. 295/75R22.5 is the metric form — 295 millimetres of section width, a sidewall 75% of that width tall, radial, same 22.5-inch rim. The rim is the only part the two sizes genuinely share.

Because the metric size spells out an aspect ratio and the imperial one does not, 295/75R22.5 is the size people call low profile: the sidewall is proportionally shorter, so the finished tire stands lower than an 11R22.5 on the same wheel. That is the whole difference, and it is the reason they are not swaps for each other.

Why mixing them costs you a set of tires

Two tires of different overall diameter on one drive axle roll a different distance per revolution. They cannot both be right, so the differential splits the difference and both tires scrub. The taller tire carries more of the load and wears its shoulders; the shorter one spins slightly and wears its face. You pay for this twice — once in rubber and once in driveline heat.

The same applies across duals on a trailer. A matched pair at each axle end is not a preference, it is what keeps the load shared. If you are replacing one tire, match what is beside it; if you cannot, replace the pair.

So which one do you buy?

Whichever is on the truck now. Read the sidewall of the tire you are taking off — the size is moulded into it, in exactly the form written above. Do not order from the invoice of the last set unless you know nobody changed sizes since.

If you are choosing for a fresh spec rather than replacing, 295/75R22.5 is the more common size on current North American tractors and has by far the wider choice of tread and brand. That is reflected in what we carry: thirteen tires in 295/75R22.5 against five in 11R22.5.

Both sizes, side by side, in stock

One thing the table does not show: there is no steer tire in our 11R22.5 range today. Two of the five are all-position, which may run on a steer axle, but if you specifically want a steer-only rib pattern in 11R22.5, ask us rather than assuming it is on the shelf.

Two things to check before you order either one

• Load range — 16PR is Load Range H, 14PR is Load Range G. H takes more pressure and carries more weight per tire. Do not step down without checking the tire-and-loading plate.
• Tread depth — the mileage you are buying. Our range runs 18/32 on a shallow trailer rib to 30/32 on a deep-lug drive.
• Federal minimum tread is 4/32 in on a steer axle and 2/32 in everywhere else (49 CFR 393.75) — that is the out-of-service line, not a replacement target.
• These ship freight, not parcel. Send the delivery ZIP and quantity and we will quote the landed cost before you commit.