31 X 10.5's

Will 31 X 10.5's fit on the factory 15" wheels that come on a 97 sport.
Thanx
Keith

Yes

The guy at the tire store said that 31's will fir under late model exploreres, but will scrub because they are 10.50's. I have 30 by 9.50 Bridgestone dueler A/T's on my 95 explorer but was wanting 31's.

The day I bought my '96 Explorer I drove it to a tire shop and exchanged the tiny bicycle tires for a set of 30x9.5 Dunlop Radial Rover RV's. The tire guy also told me the 30's would fit without issue, but the 31's would rub. Well I drove the Dunlops for 2 1/2 years, on and off road, and never rubbed them once! I have since replaced them with 31x10.5 Yokohama Geolandar A/T's and they perform superbly. No rubbing, slighty more clearance, and looks great. I recommend the Yoko's and can support the fact that 31's will fit the factory 15" wheels.

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Cheers,

Andrew B.
1996 Ford Explorer 4x4 (slightly modified)
BC, Canada

will 31x9.50 or10.5 work on 91'explorer (4dr) without any lift mod's ?

So what you guys are saying is that I could put 31x10.50 on my 94 Eddie Bauer and they wouldnt rub. I really want the 31 but I didnt know if I could fit them at all. Write me back if you can help!!

Well the article that I read said 31X10.5 would fit 95 and later and pre 95 could fit 30X9.5.

Mudder, My 94 EB wouldn't fit 31x10.50 stock and when I put on my 3" body lift 31x10.50 tires would still rub when off road.

I believe the original question was "Will 31x10.5s fit on the factory 15" wheels....?

The answer to this is yes, as far as 31s fitting under a stock Explorer, it varies from vehicle to vehicle.

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Paul Gagnon
www.geocities.com/baja/canyon/8253

I was told by a local tire guy that 30's or 31's would adversely affect the ABS on my '95. I didn't want really believe him, but is that a problem? I'd just like to put on 30x9.5's for now (until a lift comes out).

Thanx

John

jwrezz,

adding larger tires will NOT affect your ABS or your traction control computer AS LONG AS THEY ARE ALL THE SAME SIZE. The ABS (and control-trac) both measure differences in wheelspin between different tires. If they are all the same diameter there computer reads them all fine, no matter what the tire size. On my '96 Explorer 4DR I've had 30x9.5 AT's on for 2 1/2 years and now have 31x10.5 AT's on for 6 months. No problems with either size.

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Cheers,

Andrew B.
1996 Ford Explorer 4x4 (slightly modified)
BC, Canada

so what is the consensus? what is the best tire/wheel size for a 96 explorer to achieve best all around performance and looks? has anyone tried going with the 16 inch rims and then going down to the 70 series tires (a la land rover)?

Can anyone send me pictures of their 95+ Explorer with 31x10.5x15 and stock suspension.

I'm looking to raise my 96 a couple of inches and would like to see what it would look like with the bigger tires. Would the 16" rims with 265/75 A/T look better or should I say more proportionate.

Thanks!

Mike
avstech@nwlink.com

I'll see if I can dig up a picture of my '96 with the 31x10.5s at stock height. I just lifted it 2" and will be taking it off-road this coming weekend. I'll have some pictures soon then of the difference. Remind me in a week to scan some, I know a couple people are curious to see what 30s and 31s look like, so they can decide for their own vehicles. (I've had both sizes over the 3 years)

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Cheers,

Andrew B.
1996 Ford Explorer 4x4 (slightly modified)
BC, Canada

Doc,
Don't know if you ever got your answer. I've heard it varies. I run 31 X 10.5 on my stock 91 XLT with no problems, but you could do as I did & head for the tire store to see. The local tire store (BIG O) mounted the 31's so we could check it out. They didn't know if they would fit and wanted to see. Of course, the 31's were a bit more expensive and they stood to make more $$ if they could sell the 31's.

Ji

I just got a V8 '98 explorer and I"m thinkin of addin bigger tires to it. I've heard the 31's fit some explorers from this news group. Will it fit on my rig? and does anyone have pics on what it looks like?

Well I just ut 31x10.5 bfg at's on my 97. I took pictures and should have them scaned in by tonight. I will send some to Rick so that everyone can see what 31x10.5's look like on a 97 sport.

Hi. I have a 95 w/ the 15x7 wheels. I bought it used and found that I have a 3.27 axle ratio. Going from stock to 31s would reduce the actual ratio to about 3.05. Have you had any probs with acceleration? I also worry about highway-speed handling. Is it much different than stock 235/75? Thanks for any advice. John

HI JJ,
I have a 95XLT with 31X10.5 R15 BFG A/T's on it for about a year now. I also have 3.73 gears. At first there was a slight power loss, but putting in a K&N got it back.
My MPG came right back up to 15-18 city/freeway and 18-21 Highway. You will notice that it will down shift more often, but not that much, going up hills. acceleration did not seem to be any problem. and handling is not a problem either.

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Happy Wheelin'
Ray L.
95 XLT 4X4

Taylor- From what I understand, 31's will fit under a stock explorer as long as it is a '95 or newer, so yes, they should fit your rig. As far as pictures go, I've only been able to find the shot of the '95 on the main page of this site. It's not a great shot of the tires in the well, but it should give you an idea. If anybody has a shot of their '95+ with 31's, we'd love to see it. Good luck.
Craig Simpson