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Ford Explorer smaller wheels any benefit?

sze kan

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City, State
Philippines
Year, Model & Trim Level
Explorer 2012 3.5L V6
hi,
I have a 2012 Explorer limited with chrome 20” wheels as factory.
Right now I have 265/50/20 and the ride seems to be a bit rough. I am not into off roading but the roads over here are very bad with lots of potholes and broken roads.
I was thinking of replacing the factory 20” to 18” with 265/60/18. Will this make the ride less stiff and rough?
Thanks
 



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I just did this on my 2017. Depending on your choices you can drop some weight from the wheel/tire combo and you will add sidewall which will smooth the bumps out a little. For me it was noticeable but not dramatic.

From 255/50/20 to 255/65/18
 






hi,
I have a 2012 Explorer limited with chrome 20” wheels as factory.
Right now I have 265/50/20 and the ride seems to be a bit rough. I am not into off roading but the roads over here are very bad with lots of potholes and broken roads.
I was thinking of replacing the factory 20” to 18” with 265/60/18. Will this make the ride less stiff and rough?
Thanks
You can to 16" if you want on a 2012 but then you won't be able to use them on Explorers from mid 2013 onward since the brake size was changed. I ran 16" Winter wheels on my 2011. On my 2017 I use 18" Winter wheels and found that the ride was a bit smoother because of the added sidewall height. I was re-using the ones I had on my 2014 MKT (235/60R18) but will go to a proper 235/65R18 if they have to be replaced. The latter is an exact match for the 255/50/R20. What ever you do, you will want to keep the diameter difference as close to "0" as possible compared to OEM in order to keep everything else working correctly.
You can use the following site to compare different sizes to your OEM. You should not exceed 3% in "difference" in the 'Diameter inches (mm) line. 3% is considered the maximum variance.
255/50-R20 vs 235/65-R18 Tire Comparison - Tire Size Calculator | Tacoma World

Peter
 






You will be less likely to bend or damage a wheel in the potholes.
 






Correct sizes are 255/50/20 and 245/60/18
 






18" wheels would be easier to deal with, plenty of options, plenty tire selection/pricing, & fully supported on this platform & in car's programming - easy to change if you do swap sizes.
Our roads are sh*t also and I would do it in a second if, er ah, money was no object ...
...no way I would put 16's on this...
 






Thanks guys for the reply,
The thing is that I will need to add in cash to exchange my 20 to 18s and I just bought brand new tires for my 20s so it’s not really saving me any cash or whatsoever, but I am willing to do it if the results are dramatic which doesn’t look like everyone’s experience ...

My other car is a Honda Civic and has 16” wheels, although it’s like comparing apples to oranges but it just glides over potholes without any knock and I was thinking maybe it’s the wheels ...
 






It won’t be dramatic ride wise, but it could save you from replacing rims. Having P radials VS truck tires can make a drastic difference. My BFGs ride like bricks.
 






I think the previous owner of my car drove like a D*** because when I acquired it, all suspension parts were totally worn out, as well as all the tires .. however the alloys had no bent cracks or signs of being abused which makes me think these rims are not as fragile as we might think it is.
 






I think the front ends are just wimpy. If you drive on terrible roads, they will wear out again in short order. Only takes one bad pothole to destroy a rim. That extra inch of sidewall can make a big difference.

If the roads are really that bad, I’d go with 16s. With a 16 inch p radial the ride would be much improved.
 






If you have anywhere to have road force balancing done that can make a pretty big difference.
 






I think the front ends are just wimpy. If you drive on terrible roads, they will wear out again in short order. Only takes one bad pothole to destroy a rim. That extra inch of sidewall can make a big difference.

If the roads are really that bad, I’d go with 16s. With a 16 inch p radial the ride would be much improved.

You can't put 16s on a 5th Gen. They won't fit over the brakes.
 






You can't put 16s on a 5th Gen. They won't fit over the brakes.
They will on 2011, 2012 and early 2013 models. As mentioned, I had them on my 2011 Limited for Winter. Had I gone with 18" I could have used them on my MKT instead of having to buy a new set.

Peter
 






most cars here come with 15-16" and Suv with 17-18". Honestly i dont have any problems riding with big wheels,
recently i got to drive the new Ford Everest which is based on the old body on frame technology and had 17" wheels.. to be honest i always thought Unibody frames were known for ride comfort but after driving the Everest it looks the other way round. The ride was very very smooth and hitting the pot holes felt nothing... one problem was the diesel engine was way too noisy and underpowered.
coming back to my explorer, after getting all brand new suspension parts, i was expecting the ride to equal or surpass that of the Everest....but that never happened... thats what made me think that the wheels could be the reason...
 






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