20" Wheels/stock tires in snow?

[gregross]

I will be in snowy VT with the truck. I want the 20" wheels for ground clearance but will they be good in snow or should I stick with 18"? Both with stock tires?
Thanks

 

[Mishtar]

Just remember that for snow, narrower tires offer better traction, as well there are a lot more snow tires to choose from if you go with a smaller rim. I personally am going to pick up a pair of 17"s which are stock on the base model. I found 6 different snow tires for that size and only 2 for the stock 18"s on tirerack.com

 

[1AJeremyD]

If you have the choice between the 20s and 18s I would go with the 18s just because it will be a skinnier tire and give you a little more traction because the tire will cut through the snow better.

 

[SubLo]

Where is this logic coming from? Tire diameter has almost nothing to do with snow traction other than the availability of certain tire treads and ride height in relation to snow depth and ground clearance. That said, your available traction will be determined by vehicle weight, contact patch (mostly tire width and tread), tread pattern, tire pressure and possibly a little bit of sidewall height influence.

 

[edge929]

2 more inches (18 to 20) of rim doesn't mean 2 more inches of ground clearance. The XLT has something like .2 inches less than the Limited model with the 20s. I'm all for maximum ground clearance but after you weigh the snow tire options (sizes) and overall dimensions of available tires, I would most likely go with what is cheap/available rather than worry about .2 inches.

 

[SubLo]

You're referring to OEM options not aftermarket choices. going from 18 to 20 or whatever can indeed mean 2 more inches of ground clearance (or not) depending on your tire choices. You can choose to maintain the same ride height and clearance by calculating a tire size with the same or similar overall diameter albeit with a shorter sidewall on the increase.

Another option is to maintain the sidewall, width and aspect ration increasing only the tire diameter and you will indeed gain additional ground clearance. For example: if you go from 265/60/18 to 265/60/20 (for argument's sake) your tire diameter will be 2 inches taller overall netting you approximately 1 inch more clearance.

You can also go bigger with a myriad of options that can possibly increase your ground clearance. To get 2 inches more height from tire/wheel mods alone and potential corresponding ground clearance, you'd have to get an overall diameter that is 4 inches greater.

 

[gregross]

Thanks to all who responded to this. I was under the impression that just going with Ford's stock offering, I would pick up 1" of ground clearance but I obviously need to look into this more and the actual dimensions of the tires they put on the 20/18 options.

 

[Mishtar]

If he goes with the stock size 18"s over the 20"s I belice they are not as wide so he would get better snow traction. Unless I am mistaken and they are the same width.

 

[2TimingTom]

I think the overall tire diameter between 17,18 and 20" wheels are roughly the same- if not, changing between those sizes can greatly effect everything about the vehicle's performance. Not to mention the speedometer error.

Typically, the smaller the wheel, the cheaper the tires. 20" wheels, you might be looking at $1000 to replace the tires with something that's not total garbage. That same tire in 17" might be $700 for the set. And it seems that there are more options for smaller wheels.

20" wheels do look cool though.

 

[Joe Dirt]

The other thing to consider is possibly getting a set of steelies for winter, and running narrower tires/more aggressive in snow... Would save your factory wheels the winter wear and tear as well... Would give you many more options for choosing vs. Ford's factory offerings.

 

[peterk9]

I think the overall tire diameter between 17,18 and 20" wheels are roughly the same- if not, changing between those sizes can greatly effect everything about the vehicle's performance. Not to mention the speedometer error.
20" wheels do look cool though.

The Limited I ordered comes with 255/50R20 tires. I will be using the 245/65R17 winter tires from my present vehicle, which came with stock 19" tires, on Ford's base 17" steelies. The difference is speedo reading will be 1.689% too fast or 1 mph at 60. Narrower tires are better in snow. In any case, stock all-seasons will not match dedicated winter tires for traction in snow or on cold bare pavement. Different rubber compounds! Also, my insurance company gives a 5% discount on my insurance because of the use of winter tires.

 

[2TimingTom]

I thought in one providence (or maybe just a city) in Canada, winter tires were mandatory. Don't remember which one.

I have run dedicated winter tires on my cars for the passed 5 or so winters. This winter with my Explorer will be the first I haven't- although these tires do carry the mountain snow flake symbol, but they still leave a little to be desired as far as snow stopping traction.......

 

[peterk9]

I thought in one providence (or maybe just a city) in Canada, winter tires were mandatory. Don't remember which one.

I have run dedicated winter tires on my cars for the passed 5 or so winters. This winter with my Explorer will be the first I haven't- although these tires do carry the mountain snow flake symbol, but they still leave a little to be desired as far as snow stopping traction.......

Currently only the province of Quebec has a mandatory winter tire policy. It applies to all vehicles registered there. Not sure what tires come on the 2011. Have seen pictures with Hankook but I'm not sure if they come all the models.

 

[edge929]

Limiteds get Hankooks, XLTs get Michelins, not sure what the base model gets. Suppose I should have looked the other day, local dealer got their first 2011 in, base model for a fleet/company.

 

[peterk9]

Limiteds get Hankooks, XLTs get Michelins, not sure what the base model gets. Suppose I should have looked the other day, local dealer got their first 2011 in, base model for a fleet/company.

I think the Hankook must be made just for the dealer ordered Explorers. I looked at pictures of the wheels and see the tire shows as a Hankook Optima. When I searched that particular tire on various sites, it does not appear to come in the size that the Explorer Limited uses. Had the same problem with my Highlander. It came with Toyo A20 in a 19" size but I could not find them on Toyo's website. Many complaints about them not lasting very long as is typical on new vehicles. The tires that come on thenm seem to be for comfort and quietness. Not durability. Probably the same with the OEM Hankooks.