Off Road Tires and Wheels for 2005 Explorer XLT

[TMC1]

My son is having a 3" lift kit installed in his 2005 Ford Explorer XLT (6 cylinder)... I am looking for suggestions on wheel and tire size... I am dad (54), I look for safety, reliable, value... It is my son's car (19) he thinks "cool"... Any ideas? 15, 16, 17 wheel and/or what tires? I am ignorant about the off road stuff, but I know there is a lot of experience, expertise and "smarts" in this forum... Thanks in advance for any and all help!

 

[Bohknows17]

I can remember the many arguments I had with my dad when I wanted to lift my first Explorer after I turned 16... fun times!

First off, if you're worried about safety, do you know what lift he is planning on installing? Are you guys planning on installing it at home or are you having a shop do it?

As far as wheels and tires go.. I'd say there are a few factors that play into what you should be looking at.
1. How much off road use is the truck actually going to get?
2. If it is going to see off road use, are we talking gravel/dirt roads or more "wheeling" trails?
3. Even if he is going to be going off road, how much is he going to be driving on road daily/often?

Those questions are best to ask when you're deciding what kind of wheels (if any) to purchase and what kind of tire is going to be most suitable.

Just from my experience, lifting a truck and fitting larger tires and/or wheels is costly and time consuming, but can be very rewarding. Installing a lift on your own can be very frustrating and time consuming, so if that is the route you guys are planning on taking, feel free to ask any questions you guys may have and I'll do my best to point you in the direction of helpful threads and offer what knowledge I have.

 

[JW]

I put the BTF spacers and upper control arms on my 2003 Limited, with Firestone Destination ATs in a 285/70-17, on the stock Limited wheels. Great setup thus far, though I do have some issues with a bit of rubbing on the plastic trim you'd typically find on a Limited, Eddie Bauer, or XLT Sport (the plastic intrudes into the wheel well openings a bit). 265/70-17s wouldn't rub as much. If your son's XLT doesn't have the plastic trim, it won't be much of an issue.

 

[Michael Carico]

I finally convinced my dad after almost 3 years (19 in ten days) and got the btf spacers and uca’s (took over a month for them to come in and had to talk to branden multiple times FYI) but I went from the stock 17” xlt rims to a 16” x 8 procomp series 7069 off of 4wheel parts website. They were only $92 a piece and rapped them in procomp extremes 265/75r/16. About $180 a piece for the tires. And I can’t be more satisfied with the look. Mine is also a 4.0 and it handles the tire fine if that was a worry.

 

[Michael Carico]

Oh, I just realized that was my dads post from 2 months ago...

 

[boominXplorer]

^^^^^ definitely pretry funny. Looks good!!!!