2017 Explorer (Sport)-- precise wheel specifications?

[kmarnes]

I cannot find this anywhere. It might be in the owner's manual somewhere, for a lack of trying to search it.

The car is so new, that I'm having troubles trying to purchase wheels with guaranteed fitment online. My assumption is the 2016s and 2017s are completely identical, but there are always other factors such as brake sizes or other things. Given the Police interceptor's run 18" wheels, seems like downsizing to 18 for winters is pretty reasonable.

I found this site: http://autotk.com/wheels/ford/explorer/

Showing the same info between 2016 and 2017:

• Bolt pattern: 5x114.3
• Stock wheel offset: 32-45mm
• Center bore: 63.3
• Thread size: M14 x 1.5
• Stock Rim Range: 17x7 - 24x9.5

I'm looking at getting 18x8 rims with 245/60R18 tires of some flavor.

So, does anyone know how I can definitively confirm those are my car's specs?

 

[peterk9]

Don't really know about the actual specs but I'm running 235/60R18 on my MKT which came with stock 255/45R20. I believe the brake sizes from mid 2013 production to the current 2017 models are all the same.

Peter

 

[RCWestcott]

I cannot find this anywhere. It might be in the owner's manual somewhere, for a lack of trying to search it.

The car is so new, that I'm having troubles trying to purchase wheels with guaranteed fitment online. My assumption is the 2016s and 2017s are completely identical, but there are always other factors such as brake sizes or other things. Given the Police interceptor's run 18" wheels, seems like downsizing to 18 for winters is pretty reasonable.

I found this site: http://autotk.com/wheels/ford/explorer/

Showing the same info between 2016 and 2017:

• Bolt pattern: 5x114.3
• Stock wheel offset: 32-45mm
• Center bore: 63.3
• Thread size: M14 x 1.5
• Stock Rim Range: 17x7 - 24x9.5

I'm looking at getting 18x8 rims with 245/60R18 tires of some flavor.

So, does anyone know how I can definitively confirm those are my car's specs?

That's EXACTLY what I did, and in the exact same size, but you have your Explorer already and I'm waiting a little less patiently every day. I'm still waiting for my confirmation and VIN, but wanted to be ready for winter as soon as the vehicle arrives, so I found myself a set of the 18" rims - almost new - off a Base Explorer. The painted aluminums. . . These have been used on a few different makes/models dating back since 2011, including the Flex. To ensure fitment I checked with the parts guy at my local dealership and he said the rims I bought fit the Explorer (at least the base). The only assumption I'm making is that the Base and the Sport/Platinum run the same brakes. I know the bolt pattern is good, and knowing the Interceptor runs 18s I'm pretty confident in this. I then ordered up a set of Blizzak DM-V2 winter tires from Costco, and a set of TPMS sensors, and expect all three sets to arrive sometime in the next week. For under $1,500 Canadian all-told I should be good to go. The only thing that's going to be keeping me up is that the load rating on any of the 18" winters I could find is lower than all the tire combinations that come with the larger wheels of the Sport/Platinum. Seems that the Base and XLT are good with a 105 rating, but the other models all come with tires of at least a 109 rating. I'm assuming 109 is overkill and just a function of the higher load bearing capacity of the skinnier sidewall of the 20" tires, and that the weight difference between a Base/XLT and a Sport/Platinum is negligible. Should I be worried or did I do OK?

 

[kmarnes]

105's are good because that's my stock load rating! Car weighs 5000lbs. At 105 load rating, you could theoretically carry 8000lbs, but in real world car says you can only carry 6250lbs, because of turns, hills, lateral g's.

As for winter tires, I am avoiding directional tires like the plague, so the Blizzak's are out for me. I want to be able to rotate them myself and use them on all positions, any orientations -- as this increases a tire's longevity. So I'm currently leaning towards this one: http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/m...2713.html?vehicleIdentifier=1474928162031#srp. Lot's of positive ratings/reviews to back it up.

Here's my 2017 Ford Explorer Sport tire/loading info sticker, sans VIN. The camera flash obscures the front cold tire pressure, but it's the same as the rears.

 

[kmarnes]

Also did you get yours under the Ford Employee Pricing and Costco deal? If not, there is now a cold weather package and 0% financing deal on the table.

 

[RCWestcott]

Also did you get yours under the Ford Employee Pricing and Costco deal? If not, there is now a cold weather package and 0% financing deal on the table.

I ordered mine on Sunday the 25th, so before the Employee Pricing and Costco event expired. Also, don't count out the directional tires too quickly. I ran 17" WS80s on my Escape the last two winters, which means they were fit to the car about 4 or 5 months out of the year, and after two seasons and 12,358 km (I keep good records) they came off last Spring at between 8/32 and 9/32, so almost no wear at all. My 19" stock summer tires are also directional, so I just fit the least worn tire to the front each change and, at this rate, I'd have probably gotten at least 5 to 7 seasons out of each (the summers were all-season Conti-Pro Contacts).

 

[autotk]

Hi kmarnes,
Thank you for your inquiry. Will this link solve your problem? http://www.tirerack.com/snow/Select...odel=Explorer&autoYear=2017&autoModClar=Sport
In case you don't trust autotk.com

 

[kmarnes]

I'm not totally dissing directional tires. In fact, I had Blizzaks for my last car, and I used them for 3-4 seasons and there's plenty of tread left. I just prefer classically rotating my tires -- and I only rotate when I switch out my winters/summers. I just got annoyed because the first time I rotated them, I put them on backwards and had to redo it. The problem I have with directionals (and it's hard to find good winters that don't have that), is that they are stuck to one side of the car. So if you have any uneven wear, bad alignment, etc... then you'll prematurely wear one side over the other and then have to replace them all.

 

[RCWestcott]

If push came to shove, and you noticed some uneven wear, couldn't you simply have your local tire shop pop the rubber off each rim and reverse the tires for you? I plan to do my own oil changes, but perhaps once a year, in order to ensure I'm getting the proper multi-point inspection (or if I have a wear item coming due that requires an authorized dealer to replace - i.e. cabin air filter), for example, I could take it when I either just put the snows on, or am just getting ready to take them off. I could then, as part of the rotation included in most oil change deals, have them pop the tires off the rims and reverse them. Might be a little headache, but beats settling for anything but the most recent in snow tire technology and design, since most of the newer ones are directional.

 

[kmarnes]

You lost me at tire shop. Once they are originally mounted, it's all me. Another thing that got me to do my own tires is that it's very annoying to get an appointment to switch out tires (even with separate rims) -- hit or miss, sometimes you have to wait an hour or so. Faster for me to simply do it at home

You are more advanced than me. I've never done my own oil changes. I'll just do all my servicing at the dealer while it's under warranty. That way, no potential issues should anything go sideways.

I just pulled the trigger by ordering the rims with hub rings. I'll buy the tires separately from Canadian Tire, then take all the hardware to Ford and get them to install it with OEM TPMS too.

 

[RCWestcott]

You lost me at tire shop. Once they are originally mounted, it's all me. Another thing that got me to do my own tires is that it's very annoying to get an appointment to switch out tires (even with separate rims) -- hit or miss, sometimes you have to wait an hour or so. Faster for me to simply do it at home

You are more advanced than me. I've never done my own oil changes. I'll just do all my servicing at the dealer while it's under warranty. That way, no potential issues should anything go sideways.

I just pulled the trigger by ordering the rims with hub rings. I'll buy the tires separately from Canadian Tire, then take all the hardware to Ford and get them to install it with OEM TPMS too.

Here's hoping the original balance is so good, as is the new Explorer's alignment, that there won't be any issues with wear that will require taking it to anybody.

Anything I can do at home I will do. It's cheaper, I enjoy it, and I'm sure I'm getting the best products along with the highest level of give-a-crap. Nobody's going to love my Explorer as much as I love my Explorer! Personally, I'm hoping to keep the Explorer out of the dealer (and the tires out of the tire shop) for as long as possible, so if everything's balanced and tracking properly, I expect to simply swap out my wheels for five to seven seasons without having to have the tires remounted (until I have to buy a new set). The idea was simply a work-around if there was any wear that required a more of a rotation than a simple front-to-back you can do yourself with directionals.

 

[kmarnes]

So I dropped my car off at the Ford dealer this morning to get all my aftermarket winter wheel/tire/tpms stuff installed.

Basically I bought:

• 245 60/R18 Motomaster tires at Canadian Tire. I wanted good asymmetrical winters, which is harder to find then one would imagine.
• Touren TR-9 wheels with size 18x8, 5/114.3, Offset 40mm at 1010tires.com along with hubcentric plastic rings / lug nuts. I like these wheels because they have a simple clean, matt black, and have a cover that keeps the lug nuts away from snow and mud.
• TPMS35 sensors from amazon.com in the US. The sensors were $69 USD for a set of 4 vs $82 x 4 = $328 CDN at the dealer. And they are OEM. Couldn't get anywhere close to that price in Canada.

So while I play the parts roulette waiting game, the hope is it'll all come together and fit. I'll post some pics once I get it all back, assuming it all works out. Parts cost me $1600 CDN + install. I should find out whether I need the TPMS19 reprogramming tool or not. Indications are that I don't need it, but even the Ford dealer isn't sure, because this is the first 2017 they've done.

 

[kmarnes]

All good, and they said I need the training tool, so I purchased it. So anyone else with 2017s can feel safe getting any wheel stuff installed. It's the same as the 2016s.

 

[reserved50]

I would avoid taking all the responsibility for rim fitment especially if its bought online, if someone has already tried them on their Explorer then it should be a safe bet, but do need to remember that the earlier Explorers up to about 2013 had smaller brakes and more wheel choices. Rims that are convex in design usually don't clear the brakes

 

[kmarnes]

I'm not really sure what you are trying to say. Because the car is so new and Ford doesn't even know with certainty about the sizing specifications, I asked them specifically to pay close attention to the install and do it at the Ford dealer. I could have easily had it done at a 3rd party shop, saved money, and taken my chances, but everything from Ford came up thumbs up in the end.

I pioneered it. I did all the due diligence I possibly could before hand. Buying everything at Ford would have literally doubled my cost (if I wanted proper alloys). And winter is coming and I need to be prepared to go skiing on a moments notice with so many ski hills nearby.

Brake clearance was not an issue. Checked, have at least a full 2 inches of clearance, but I wasn't even worried about that.

In the end, the 98% assumption is that the 2016 wheel specs are identical to the 2017s.

 

[Eject]

Can anyone provide me with the specs for the following for a 2017 Explorer Sport...
-Bolt Pattern
-Offset
-Hub Size
-Tire Size

 

[peterk9]

Your tire size is shown on the tires. The bolt pattern for all 2011 - 2017 is 5x114.3 (5x4.5) as mentioned in an existing post. Not sure of the rest.
Are you looking to put new wheels on already?
Moved your thread to this existing one.

Peter

 

[kmarnes]

FYI, don't need the TMPS19 tool. The car figures it out all by itself, but you have to drive about 10 miles for it to suddenly reset. Even works after rotation now that I've put my winters on twice now.