How to: 2020 Explorer ST - Performance Tires/Wheels Sizing Guide

[EnergyFX]

Hello fellow Explorers. First post here, but have lurked for a few months until now.

In this thread I will detail fitting 325/35 R22 tires under an otherwise stock 2020 Explorer ST.

New vs. Stock Side-by-Side Comparison. The new skins are a full 2" wider than stock but only .3" taller diameter:

So, the wife and I recently purchased a 2020 ST and we have been loving it. However, I wasn't pleased with the factory tire sizing and overall look/stance of the truck. The factory tires just looked too narrow for a performance SUV and they were way too tucked into the wheel well. I spent weeks looking for any information on non-stock sizing and offset that would properly clear. There isn't much out there yet on this new truck, so.... I gathered what info I could, studied and measured the factory clearances, and ultimately took a bit of a risk and ordered some custom milled wheels and tires. In this thread I will attempt to share as much info as I can in case anyone else wants to take the same plunge I did, including what I would do differently knowing what I do now.

1st off, The Factory Setup:

• Factory Wheel Size = 21x9 (WxD)
• Factory Wheel Hub Bore = 70.5mm
• Factory Wheel Offset = +37.5mm
• Factory Wheel Bolt Pattern = 5-114.3mm
• Factory Tire Size = 275/45 R21

2nd, My Aftermarket Setup (not recommended, read on for why):

• EnergyFX's New Wheel Size = 22x11 (WxD)
• EnergyFX's New Hub Bore = 70.5 (no change from factory)
• EnergyFX's New Wheel Offset = +30mm
• EnergyFX's New Wheel Bolt Pattern = 5-114.3mm (no change from factory)
• EnergyFX's New Tire Size = 325/35 R22

3rd, What I Should Have Done (WISHD). If I were to do this over, I would go with the following (note: this setup is technically unproven as of this post, but is provided based on an actualized installation of the above "EnergyFX's" setup and my observations.):

• WISHD Wheel Size = 22x11 (WxD)
• WISHD Hub Bore = 70.5 (no change from factory)
• WISHD Wheel Offset = +35mm
• WISHD Wheel Bolt Pattern = 5-114.3mm (no change from factory)
• WISHD Tire Size = 315/35 R22

The goal was to get a setup where the outer edge of the tire is flush with the outermost edge of the wheel opening on the fenders, with maybe just a hint of tire protrusion at the sidewall bulge. In my personal opinion, a slight protrusion gives a vehicle a good sporty, almost muscular look. I did not want any of the tread pattern to protrude. Unfortunately I missed that mark by just under 1/2 an inch or so (meaning I wish my tires were tucked about .4" under the truck vs. what I ended up with). I may look into sending my custom rims back in to have another 5mm milled off to bring the offset up to +35mm, but it will have to be after I wear these tires down since the extra milling will cause clearance issues with the 325/35 tire size.

With the "EnergyFX's" setup, there is about 1/3" clearance between the front tire and the front suspension (the front shock). This is .72" closer to the suspension than factory and is about as close as I would recommend getting to the shock. It is possible I may have a bit of rub under extreme cornering, but I won't know for sure until summer comes around and I can get a chance to try some aggressive driving and see the results. With the shorter sidewall I get from the 22s I do not anticipate this being a big issue. For now, it looks to be a good setup (reducing inside clearance by .72"). There is still quite a bit of inside clearance on the rear tires.

Factory Tire/Wheel Size vs. EnergyFX Tire/Wheel Size:

Factory Offset vs. EnergyFX Offset:

In hindsight, I believe a +35mm offset with 22x11 wheels would have probably been perfect, but would require a 315/35 R22 size tire. This would have also been an exact diameter match to factory. I plan to get to this size once I wear through the existing tires. I'll hve to send the wheels off to get the extra 5mm milled off the offset, but that's small price to get to perfect.

Factory Tire/Wheel Size vs. WISHD Tire/Wheel Size:

Factory Offset vs. WISHD Offset:

Rubbing/Interference: With the "EnergyFX's" setup, there appears to be a small amount of rubbing at hard-over steering. It is not severe and is probably not an issue, but is an annoyance nonetheless. This is another reason why I do not recommend the setup I went with and instead suggest the "WISHD" setup. From my observation there should be zero interference or rubbing with the "WISHD" setup, but that is yet to be officially confirmed.

Here is an IMGUR album that has all photos from this post plus a few more:
2020 Explorer ST Wheel Info and Aftermarket 22x11s

 

[evilgeek]

Thanks for the write up. Definitely gives some food for thought.

 

[STO]

This is helpful, I have been wondering how they look with meat and how far you can go.

Looks good

 

[evilgeek]

OP, can you comment more on the rubbing issues? How bad, and where exactly?

 

[EnergyFX]

OP, can you comment more on the rubbing issues? How bad, and where exactly?

Front tires only. It's not due to suspension travel, it happens from steer. The lip of the tire touches the wheel well liner at certain steering angles, and only just barely. If you look in your wheel well right behind the front tire, you will see a bulge in the liner (why Ford, why???). The outer lip of the 325/35R22s just barely touch this bulge at partial steering angles. Even with your stock tires if you turn your wheel a bit an look you will see the clearance gets pretty tight. Visualize pushing that outer edge of your tire out about 1.25" and you will see where the rub will happen.

I'm pretty sure 315/35R22 on an 11" wide wheel with +35mm backspacing will clear just fine, but it's a .5" narrower tire, so...... choices.

 

[evilgeek]

Front tires only. It's not due to suspension travel, it happens from steer. The lip of the tire touches the wheel well liner at certain steering angles, and only just barely. If you look in your wheel well right behind the front tire, you will see a bulge in the liner (why Ford, why???). The outer lip of the 325/35R22s just barely touch this bulge at partial steering angles. Even with your stock tires if you turn your wheel a bit an look you will see the clearance gets pretty tight. Visualize pushing that outer edge of your tire out about 1.25" and you will see where the rub will happen.

I'm pretty sure 315/35R22 on an 11" wide wheel with +35mm backspacing will clear just fine, but it's a .5" narrower tire, so...... choices.

thanks, that helps a lot.

where the corner of the tire is relative to the steering axis will depend on diameter/height as well as width/offset, so i'm thinking that there are probably more ways than one to get rub against that bulge. there may be some trigonometry in my future, lol.

 

[EnergyFX]

thanks, that helps a lot.

where the corner of the tire is relative to the steering axis will depend on diameter/height as well as width/offset, so i'm thinking that there are probably more ways than one to get rub against that bulge. there may be some trigonometry in my future, lol.

I’d say it’s probably wise to stay as close as possible to stock diameter. I am also very confident that 315/35r22 on 11inch wide wheels with a +35 mm offset will be the sweet spot. Granted that is a .5” more narrow tire that what I have in the 1st post, I think it is the max we can run on this gen with no rubbing.

My current tires are about .25” to .33” away from rubbing the shock absorber on the inside edge of the tire. I wouldn’t push that any closer. So adding any more positive offset requires going with a more narrow tire.

I’m also going to spend some time in the front wheel wells and see if I can massage the liners to offer a bit more clearance. I’ll keep this thread updated as I go.

 

[tyler cenarrusa]

how much did these wheels set you back and what model did you get? i'm looking at some nice wheels without paying 5-6k for a set of 22's would like to stay around 3k for the set. thanks.

i'm coming from an X5 with the sport wheels and loved the stance with the meaty 315 tires out back. i also lowered it, which i plan to do with the ST when H&R comes out with their springs for this rig.

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum Tyler.

Peter

 

[EnergyFX]

how much did these wheels set you back and what model did you get? i'm looking at some nice wheels without paying 5-6k for a set of 22's would like to stay around 3k for the set. thanks.

i'm coming from an X5 with the sport wheels and loved the stance with the meaty 315 tires out back. i also lowered it, which i plan to do with the ST when H&R comes out with their springs for this rig.

About $5k with tires.

 

[QwikEVO]

nice looking wheels, just a smidge too much tire poking out for my likes.

although 325's on it make it look mean as hell

 

[EnergyFX]

nice looking wheels, just a smidge too much tire poking out for my likes.

although 325's on it make it look mean as hell

Agreed, once I wear these tires down I plan to reduce down to 315s and increase the offset another 5mm. This should bring the outer edge in approx. half an inch.

There is no data out there to go off of for the 2020 Explorers, so I kind of had to just figure it out for myself. Hoping my trial and error will help others get it right the first time.

 

[tyler cenarrusa]

Welcome to the Forum Tyler.

Peter

thanks! i'll be documenting my modifications as i go.

 

[tyler cenarrusa]

About $5k with tires.

thanks! i'll let you know what i end up going with. there are so many options! savini, vossen, niche, klassen, signature (spendy), bc forged (spendy) i don't want a heavy ass wheel that is cast. probably will go with a flow forged one that is semi custom. fully forged and custom made to suite are all very spendy and bout 5-7k just for the wheels.

anyone know what the weight of the stock 21" wheels is?

 

[EnergyFX]

thanks! i'll let you know what i end up going with. there are so many options! savini, vossen, niche, klassen, signature (spendy), bc forged (spendy) i don't want a heavy ass wheel that is cast. probably will go with a flow forged one that is semi custom. fully forged and custom made to suite are all very spendy and bout 5-7k just for the wheels.

anyone know what the weight of the stock 21" wheels is?

I can get you a weight of the stock rim with tire (gross) later this afternoon. If you can find specs on the tire weight then you can just subtract from the gross.

 

[peterk9]

Have you checked out this thread Tyler? Aftermarket wheels
Velgen wheels seen to be a nice wheel according to members who have seen them. Posts 674 and 705 are examples.

Peter

 

[metroplex]

Very detailed and concise work,I like it!

But 275s are too narrow? My SHO came with 255/45R19 on 19x9 stock factory wheels. I went to 275/40R19 and they fit perfectly, and looked really good (flushes out the wheel well). I lost some gas mileage though and didn't notice any increase in straight line grip. When cornering hard, the tires had more squish and flex. The benefit of 275 vs 255 was that it crosses over many potholes in SE MI, so the tire doesn't even fit into the holes.

My 2018 Explorer XLT has 245/60R18 and it feels fine for straight line grip. While it does enter pot holes, the sidewall height and durability of the Michelin Latitude Tour HP makes deep potholes feel like a slight bump, like driving a Stryker into a 4 foot ditch. I'd imagine the fuel economy with 255s would be better than 275s or 325s (less drag). The factory air curtain design of the aerodynamics (the 2 slits on the sides of the front fascia) would probably channel air into the 325s and produce a bit more drag than the stock 275s or maybe 255s.

 

[Rapid Red]

Thanks for this post, it is very informative. I have same colour and have been disappointed by the relative lack of 21 inch wheels thus far, so have been considering 22s. But then my perfectly good 21 inch tires with maybe 100 miles on them will go to waste, as i will lose half their value or more selling them. I am almosttempted to just buy another set of stock black wheels as i really like them (existing wheels are wrapped with winter rubber).

As for your front tire rubbing, a trick i used 25 years ago on a Jeep Grand Cherokee with oversized wheels and tires to defeat the rubbing was to put a washer on the bumper stop, which limited the turning radius a little but stopped the rubbing. Not sure if that may be a possibility with he ST but a suggestion in case it helps.

Meanwhile i am off to check out the wheel link i just saw in thread. Good luck!

 

[Rapid Red]

Well I finally tired of trying to find some nice looking summer wheels in the 21 inch size. Anything decent was around $1500 per wheel. And even to buy another set of stock Ford black wheels was $1100/wheel at best.

So I decided to go with some 22 inch DUB ballers, DUB BALLER MATTE BLACK DOUBLE DARK TINT 22X8.5 +38 5X114.3MM 72.6MM to be exact. I am going to wrap them in 285-40-22 tires (still have not determined which brand yet. Considering Falken Ziex at the moment as trying to keep overall cost down to around $3500 Cdn (say $2500 US).

I realize the bore size is 2.1mm off but I assume the wheel shop accounted for this when telling me the wheels would fit. I assume 2mm is not going to be an issue.

At any rate, as soon as they arrive (2 weeks, have to come to Canada from California), and get installed, I will post some pictures. I really wish I had known what a pain it would be to try and find decent 21 inch wheels for a decent price last October, and I would have just bought some 20 inch wheels and snow tires and left the stock setup as is. Oh well, I really like the look of these 22's.

Here are some on a 5th Gen Explorer

 

[Rapid Red]

One other thing that I learned today at the wheel shop - they have the ability to bore out wheels. I learned this after mentioning how I ended up selling my old 2crave no 14 wheels because the bore size had changed.

So not sure how much of a wheel can be bored out safely (the 5th gen wheels were 63mm, weren’t they? So 7-8mm would need to get bored out), it likely depends on the wheel design I would imagine, but that is an option to consider for others who have rims they like and would like to see on their Gen 6 Explorer.