18" or 20" Wheels?!?!?!

[Dr Plastic]

Yes

My 2015 XLT with the Appearance package doesn't have polished 20's. I assumed you were referring to those.

 

[Fla_15_XLT]

I agree that people will recommend what they themselves like. It's like the threads on what oil to use or when to change it. You are never going to get a real consensus. If ride comfort was one of the important considerations then I would say the Sport wouldn't even be on the list with its stiffer suspension and the 20" wheels. Unless you are willing to get the Limited and then install 18" wheels after the fact, it leaves the XLT or Base model with the OEM 18" wheels. Best thing is to test drive vehicles with 18" and 20" wheels since it always comes down to a personal preference.

Peter

We did, and the remarkably jigglier ride on the larger wheel/tire combination drove us to the XLT. Honestly, I don't see the point of 50-series (or lower) tires on a family vehicle with off-road intentions, particularly in areas with indifferent to lousy road maintenance practices. I look at the oversize wheels as the 'Landau bars' and coach roof option of the 'teens, with the added liability of being more fragile and expensive to replace.

 

[BlueLine14]

I purchased my Ex with the polished 20" package and have to say I prefer the improved handling and appearance. I would describe this wheel and tire pkg as being stiff and responsive with great traction in both wet and dry conditions. That being said, I ran them through last winter and it quickly became obvious that the tires were not designed for driving in snow over 3" deep. I am typically driving in to work before the roads are plowed or treated and the OEM tires performed very poorly.
For this reason, I purchased a complete set of take off 17" steel wheels with Goodyear all season tires from a base model Ex. Night and Day difference with traction in deep snow now, but they are loud on the highway and handling and cornering now resembles the way my old pickup truck felt.

I’m extremely satisfied with my decision to run a dedicated winter package as not only has my traction and stability in deep snow improved significantly, but I am keeping my premium wheels away from the harsh chemicals they use to treat the roads with. The ride is a bit softer with the 17” pkg, but I wouldn't describe the ride on the 20” wheels as harsh.
As I have said before, I am counting down the days to spring, when I can put the other set back on. It really comes down to personal preference.

 

[peterk9]

I'm also a dedicated Winter tire users. I think the tire noise and handling effects you are experiencing are probably due to the Goodyear tires. I ran BFG KSI Winter Slaloms on a 17" base model wheel on my 2011 Limited and am using the Blizzak DM-V1 tires now on the MKT and both have been very quiet with no handling issues.

Peter

 

[BlueLine14]

I'm also a dedicated Winter tire users. I think the tire noise and handling effects you are experiencing are probably due to the Goodyear tires. I ran BFG KSI Winter Slaloms on a 17" base model wheel on my 2011 Limited and am using the Blizzak DM-V1 tires now on the MKT and both have been very quiet with no handling issues.

Peter

Peter, I would agree. The ratings and reviews weren't very positive on the Goodyear tires, but they were brand new, mounted on new rims with covers and lug nuts at the right price. I had a set of Blizzak's on my WRX and they were a fantastic set of tires! Once the Goodyear's require replacing, Ill probably lean towards the Blizzak's again.

 

[ObsceneJesster]

I test drove an Explorer with 18" wheels and came home with one that had 20" wheels. My wife and I thought the Explorer was smooth during the test drive and we still think it's smooth driving it around some of the worst roads in the nation.

The Engineers at Ford didn't just offer 20's because they looked better. They use them because they provide better handling.

 

[182RG]

They use them because they provide better handling.

People have different definitions of 'Handling'. People with the Sport (I see you have an XLT with the optional 20's), which has a different suspension than the Base, XLT, and Limited, probably expect the lower profile tires. I'm sure your expectations are around cornering, not softness. The 20's on the Limited when I tested in 2011 were a harsh, more abrupt ride. Some people drive near speed limits all the time, and don't care about performance handling.

 

[ObsceneJesster]

People have different definitions of 'Handling'. People with the Sport (I see you have an XLT with the optional 20's), which has a different suspension than the Base, XLT, and Limited, probably expect the lower profile tires. I'm sure your expectations are around cornering, not softness. The 20's on the Limited when I tested in 2011 were a harsh, more abrupt ride. Some people drive near speed limits all the time, and don't care about performance handling.

I didn't really base my decision off of the handling/corning expectations. I just couldn't really tell a difference in softness between the two. Both road smoother than any car or truck I've ever owned. I mainly liked the 20's because I felt like the 18's looked tiny on the Gen 5 Explorer. Too much side wall for my liking. My XLT is also the Magnetic color and the inside of the upgraded wheels is the same exact color so everything matches very well. I mainly chose them for looks. If I drove more than 6,000 miles a year and had to drive to work more than 2 days a week, maybe a slightly smoother ride would be more important to me.

 

[kmarnes]

Ford Explorers don't corner well. It doesn't matter what wheels or tires you put on them. My 2017 Sport with 20's ride quite nicely on surface streets and are amazingly quiet on freeways at speed, but I'm considering 18" hub-centric wheels with asymmetrical winter tires. I'm certain the other explorers have a softer ride, but it's quite good. Would prefer black rims for winter, so don't think I have any Ford options. Perfect winter wheels would be the 20" magnetics if it came in 18's. Something about black wheels for winter that appeals to me.

20" Magnetic Painted 10-spoke wheels (appearance package +$$$ includes other stuff). Too big for winters.

18" Painted Aluminum wheels (stock xlt)

18" 5 spoke Aluminum Painted wheels (+$400 on XLT)


So if anyone has any ideas for aftermarket for what they did please let me know. I definitely will never buy directional winter tires again and will only consider hubcentric wheels (okay with the plastic center ring). I'm in Canada so 1010tires is a good option, but they don't have that much selection.

 

[supr squirrel]

You've already got the XLT with the metallic magnetic wheels, right? At this point any wheel you buy from Ford is likely going to cost more than something you can buy aftermarket. However, if you wanted the stock look but black wheels you could always either paint or even plasti dip them. Of course plasti dip probably isn't quite as durable as paint, but the plus side is you can peel it off later if you decided you wanted more shiny winter wheels.

Thankfully the winters here usually aren't all that bad (three or four big snows at the most, in a bad year) so sticking with the 20s will work for me.

 

[kmarnes]

No, I have a new 2017 Sport. I'm buying a separate winter set of tires and rims and likely downsizing to 18" for practical and economical reasons. I was just saying I like the look of the 20" magnetics.

Currently leaning towards the Touren TR9... but not certain. They are $151 CAD per wheel. Would need the hubcentric rings etc. I might just buy the wheels separately and then take them to Ford to install. I don't know yet. Nervous about getting the whole package with sensors, rings, and then find out later that some aspect of it doesn't quite work. The 2017s are so new, they don't really show up on the 3rd party configs yet, even though the 2016s do, and they should be the same... but you never really know.

 

[supr squirrel]

Yeah, maybe I should have looked to see what you had before I said that, haha. Not sure if you guys have tirerack.com up there, but they seem to have a bunch of good looking 18" wheels in black (or black with silver, etc.) The cool think about Tire Rack is you can 'try on' the wheels on your vehicle to see if you'd like them or not. (Also, for the record, I like the wheel you just showed me.)

They have an Enkei Performance ONX wheel in 18" that looks very similar to the XLT sport appearance package wheel. Not exactly the same, but very similar IMO. I did a search by vehicle (and then put in XLT trim to get 18" as an option), year and make and then selected 18" and it was on the second page about half way down.

 

[kmarnes]

Thanks! I've used tirerack when I lived in the US and feel it is the best online tire/wheel shop, but it's prohibitively expensive to use them to ship to Canada factoring in exchange rates, shipping, and duties. Canada has 1010tires and a couple other site, but they are inferior and don't provide as many choices.

Anyways, I'm officially on the hunt now and gathering quotes. I'm slightly early as the winter tire rebates haven't quite kicked in yet.

 

[peterk9]

I bought the 18" steel police interceptor wheels from the dealer for $88 each. That does not include the center cap, the lugnuts that hold the cap or the TPMS.

 

[kmarnes]

I do not believe those aesthetically please me (putting it mildly).

Granted on my weekend road trip to Whistler with my Smoked Quartz (aka black) Sport, I had way more cars move out of my way. Love it. Don't think I need police hubcaps to add to that.

 

[peterk9]

I do not believe those aesthetically please me (putting it mildly).

Granted on my weekend road trip to Whistler with my Smoked Quartz (aka black) Sport, I had way more cars move out of my way. Love it. Don't think I need police hubcaps to add to that.

To each his own. I'm more about functionality than looks. Especially when they will more than likely spend most of the time covered in salt and dirt.

 

[thefranchise713]

That's a nice wheel.

I picked up 18s for my '17 Limited, for what it is worth.

 

[kmarnes]

To each his own. I'm more about functionality than looks. Especially when they will more than likely spend most of the time covered in salt and dirt.

I realize that. There has to be some balance in this world though. They do make winter specific alloy rims that are durable. And there are tradeoffs too. While 18" steel rims are available, they are very heavy. But because of the extra unsprung weight, they will improve winter handling. Lighter alloys better in the summer months for the opposite reasons.

The Touren I posted above is a clean simple looking wheel and I like how the lugs are covered. Lighter and not as durable (by a long shot) to the police wheel. But I also live in Vancouver, which doesn't have the harsh winters.

 

[kmarnes]

So question.... do you think it's better to pay $360 each for perfectly hubcentric Ford alloy wheels or $150 each for aftermarket wheels that will need the hubcentric rings to fit?

 

[thefranchise713]

I've always run winter wheels with centering rings and never had a problem, just have to remember to inspect when the wheels are removed.