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Tire Size Upgrade

LIVIO

Member
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June 20, 2013
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City, State
York Region, Ontario
Year, Model & Trim Level
17 Ford Explorer Platinum
Has anyone replaced their stock 255/50/20 tires with a larger size?

In Canada Explorer's come with the 255/50/20 however I see that in the US you can order 265/45/20 summer tire.

It's actually strange as a 275/45/20 would be a closer match to the 255/50/20's then the 265 size is.

Anyway, I see that the OEM Hankook's are not rated the best especially during the winter months so I am thinking about changing them with a 275/45/20.

All the information that I have indicates that it should fit and their won't be a problem so I thought I would ask to see if anyone has gone this route.

Thanks guys.

Livio
 



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What's your reasoning behind a wider tire for your Sport besides bigger must be better? With a 275 tire you're going to notice more road wander, a stiffer ride and worse snow performance. You're also going to notice a different steering feel that you might not like. What exactly are you looking for in a different tire? More dry grip, better wet handling, better snow performance?
 






Just wanted to replace my OEM tires for a better quality tire.

I have been looking into either the stock 255/50/20's or the 275/45/20.

I drive a 2011 Ford Edge Sport now with OEM 265's so I don't think the 275 would be much different.

Livio
 






Just wanted to replace my OEM tires for a better quality tire.

I have been looking into either the stock 255/50/20's or the 275/45/20.

I drive a 2011 Ford Edge Sport now with OEM 265's so I don't think the 275 would be much different.

Livio
As I mentioned in another post, I replaced my 20" OEM tires with Yokohama Parada Spec-X tires the day I picked it up. For Winter I use the Base model 17" steel wheels with 17" BFG Winter Slalom KSI tires. I am a firm believer in using dedicated Winter tires for better performance and increased safety.
If you go with the 275/45R20 tires you will be close to the maximum accepted diameter difference of 3%. You will have a difference of 2.44%.
If you do not plan to use dedicated Winter tires, the last thing you should do is get a wider tire.

Peter
 






Hi Peter, thanks for the information.

I think you may be mistaken on the Diameter Variance as I am only getting 0.98% and it's actually closer to the OEM 255/50/20 then the 265/45/20 that is offered by Ford in a summer tire.

This is the tool that I use. http://www.1010tires.com/Tools/Tire-Size-Calculator

Livio
 






Hi Peter, thanks for the information.

I think you may be mistaken on the Diameter Variance as I am only getting 0.98% and it's actually closer to the OEM 255/50/20 then the 265/45/20 that is offered by Ford in a summer tire.

This is the tool that I use. http://www.1010tires.com/Tools/Tire-Size-Calculator

Livio
Livio, you are right. I must have punched in a wrong number somewhere. It is the same site that I use all the time.
Not sure why Ford offers that optional size in the States only. I thought it was offered here on the 2013 Sport but I may have been wrong. Too late to check now that they have finally update the Canadian site.

Peter
 






Stick with the stock OEM tire sizes. And the Hankooks will be just fine in the winter with AWD. After about 55,000 miles, rinse & repeat.:)
 






Stick with the stock OEM tire sizes. And the Hankooks will be just fine in the winter with AWD. After about 55,000 miles, rinse & repeat.:)
AWD doesn't make the all season rubber any softer in cold weather. It may help in snow but is next to useless on slippery surfaces. On cold bare roads, AWD isn't going to help much if the tires don't have the necessary grip. That is why they make dedicated Winter tires. They have a softer compound that stays more flexible in cold weather and in snowy conditions have been proven to reduce braking distances by up to 30%. There is a reason why some insurance companies offer policy discounts for using 4 Winter tires. Although the comparison is somewhat exaggerated, using all seasons vs Winter tires is a bit like walking on cold slippery surfaces with leather soled shoes vs rubber boots. It's all about traction. BTW, a couple of manufacturers now offer a true all season tire but I would expect that it has some minor trade-offs because of it.
(getting off soapbox now and getting a coffee)
Anyway, I apologize for getting off the main topic here but I do agree with you that sticking with the OEM tire sizes is the best thing to do in the OP's case.

Peter
 






Just wanted to replace my OEM tires for a better quality tire.

I have been looking into either the stock 255/50/20's or the 275/45/20.

I drive a 2011 Ford Edge Sport now with OEM 265's so I don't think the 275 would be much different.

Livio

Honestly the Hankook's are not a bad tire but don't really excel in any one area (not many OEM all-seasons do). The Conti's are a great 3 season tire but you would need something else in the winter. I would stick with the stock sizes as they are known to not cause any interference issues. A 275 tire will also have more rolling resistance and will not perform as well in the snow due to not cutting through it as easily than a narrower tire.
 






Has anyone replaced their stock 255/50/20 tires with a larger size?

In Canada Explorer's come with the 255/50/20 however I see that in the US you can order 265/45/20 summer tire.

It's actually strange as a 275/45/20 would be a closer match to the 255/50/20's then the 265 size is.

Anyway, I see that the OEM Hankook's are not rated the best especially during the winter months so I am thinking about changing them with a 275/45/20.

All the information that I have indicates that it should fit and their won't be a problem so I thought I would ask to see if anyone has gone this route.

Thanks guys.

Livio

Having spent some time with the driving dynamics engineers on the Police program while they developed the brakes and tires for the Next Generation Police Interceptor I would suggest the stock tires are pretty good.

The days of the OEM tires being the cheapest possible tire are gone. They spend a lot of time with the tire makers trying to set up the driving dynamics of each vehicle.

I was amazed at how technical the engineers get with the tires.

The Hankooks are an over all best solution for all situations. Yes there are better tires for performance, better tires for winter but these tires are trying to cover it all.

Due to the weather you guys get out east I would do what Peter suggested and go with a complete set of winter tires mounted on rims.
 






Thanks everyone for your kind advice and suggestions.

I'm also a firm believer in using dedicated winter tires but I change my vehicle every 3 years and the winters up here lately have been getting better and better.

For example with my 2011 Ford Edge Sport, I wouldn't run the OEM 22's for the winter so I picked up a set of OEM 2010 Ford Edge Sport 20's out of Florida with OEM Pirelli All-Season tires. Since my Edge is AWD and the Pirelli tires were actually rated very high, I ran them for the last 3 winter's without any issues.

I am selling my Edge to a friend and he wants my 20's as well.

With the new Explorer, I will need to make some decisions and consider costs as well. Swapping the OEM Hankook's for the Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season would be a considerable improvement across the board from what I can see.

Thanks again guys.

Livio :salute:
 






Hi, I live in Ecuador, so there's no snow down here (besides the snow on the volcanos).
So I was thinking about going 275/45R20 all around. (stock limited rims)
Im just concerned about rubbing, i'd appreciate some help here
Thanks a lot.
Andy.
 












Thanks a lot Peter.
What about a 285/45R20 ? will it rub in the front while turning ?
The stock 20 rim, i'm guessing it's a 9 inch right ?
 






Local tire shops say they will no longer install tires other than OEM sizes due to potential legal concerns related to the SUV rollover issues, etc. Guess I'll have to stay with the 255-50-20's
Getting ready to replace my OEM Hankooks after 45k miles. There is some tread left but tires do not feel safe in the wet.

Dave
 






Local tire shops say they will no longer install tires other than OEM sizes due to potential legal concerns related to the SUV rollover issues, etc. Guess I'll have to stay with the 255-50-20's
Getting ready to replace my OEM Hankooks after 45k miles. There is some tread left but tires do not feel safe in the wet.

Dave
Because you mention the Hankooks I guess you have a Limited. If you are not changing the wheel itself, it would make sense to stay with the OEM size. I use the 17" wheel on my Limited for Winter and although the tire size is 245/65R17, it is technically an OEM size because it is used on the Base model Explorer. I think they are just being over cautious. Even U-Haul has finally lifted its ban on renting of its trailers to the owners of the 5th gen Explorer.

Peter
 






Another reason why I went with the summer option was I didn't want Hankook tires. The summer tire option of 265/45/20 are Continental ContiSportContact 5. (Talk about a long name!) I have been very happy with them, I've got almost 20,000mi on them. For winter, I bought some OZ wheels with 245/60/18 Blizzak tires.
 






just had one of our hankooks split a sidewall. didn't go flat but it was waiting to happen. covered under warranty, but I've never been a fan of hankooks, and this doesn't make me feel any better.

On the bright side, stock is 8mm tread depth and in almost 10k miles only 1mm has worn off, so they should last for 40-50k if they keep wearing evenly and around the same rate. They did surprisingly well this winter with a lot of snow and ice, but the control system of advancetrack probably has as much to do with that as the tires.

Looking forward to them wearing out so I can get a better brand. I may likely go with a toyo 275/45/20 when the time comes. Had those on my HD truck and absolutely loved them.
 






The sidewalls on the Hankook tires are too weak, they itch to split and it will cost you
 



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Has anyone tried 235/65 R18 tires? I just got an explorer with summer tires and need to get something for the winter.. I'd like something narrower for the winter. And also it seams that this size is way cheaper for what ever reason than original size. What do you think, will it work?
 






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