Another tire question... (or 2)

[Slowlyvverot]

ummm, my internet shorthand must be lacking. I have no idea what you were trying to say there????????

tl;dr stands for "too long; didn't read." It was partly sarcasm on my part. you bring up good points but it's just a lot of technical jargon to digest at once. you know your stuff though!

 

[goatman]

SO I have been reading a lot lately

I know my stock explorer can fit a 265/75r16 tire in the wheel wells according to this site.

My question is does going to this bigger tire raise the total height of my ex up much?

I am worried about it still fitting in the garage afterword. I currently have 245/75r16s on stock XLT wheels and would like to try some bigger/more aggressive tires but am wanting to keep it in my garage still.
Also am I crazy for wanting to buy the tires online and have a shop put them on or will they cut me a big break on labor if I buy the tires there too?

Thanks for reading

Hey Jazzman, Technically speaking... All the wordy stuff stated is true. However, when it come to putting the rubber on the road (sorry.. couldn't help myself), the subtle changes that the techno guy speaks has made no difference on the road. I have been running 275/70/16 for about 15,000 miles. The only things I would change are things I would have changed before I changed tire size. More evidence is the hundreds of thousands of miles by other Explorers that have changed to a other than stock tire size without adverse affects. This question is hardly breaking new ground. With that... go make your Ex look bad and enjoy.

 

[Carguy3J]

Hey Jazzman, Technically speaking... All the wordy stuff stated is true. However, when it come to putting the rubber on the road (sorry.. couldn't help myself), the subtle changes that the techno guy speaks has made no difference on the road. I have been running 275/70/16 for about 15,000 miles. The only things I would change are things I would have changed before I changed tire size. More evidence is the hundreds of thousands of miles by other Explorers that have changed to a other than stock tire size without adverse affects. This question is hardly breaking new ground. With that... go make your Ex look bad and enjoy.

Just to be clear, I'm not, nor did I ever say that you can't use a non-stock size. You just need to be aware of the other factors that will be affected, and make the other appropriate supporting modifications.....such as a tuner to correct the ecm, and possibly gears if you make a big enough change.

Another thing that is hardly ever discussed is the need for bigger brakes, when putting on tires/wheels that are much bigger than stock (not the case in what is being discussed by the OP) Bigger tires weigh more, along with the bigger rims they are mounted. This is all rotational and unsprung weight. as such, it will have a detrimental effect on braking and handling, if not properly compensated for.

 

[jp450]

ok, now I know what you're trying to say. Only problem is that 245/65/17's aren't stock size for an '05 Explorer XLT. Stock OEM should have been 265/60/17. However they have nearly the same diameter, and therefor your speedo should not have been off. I would trust the speedo before GPS. No way is a 5mph error within the factory specs.

Door sticker says 245/65/17 so I don't know what to tell ya about that. I thought that was put on at the factory.


I needed the larger profile tire for riding on soft sand. When I aired down to 12 PSI with the stock tire it realy didn't do much for me. With the 70's I get a nice bubble that floats on the sand nicely. My tire choice is not only for street use but also soft sand.

 

[gonzmexican]

I am running BF Goodrich AT KO's in the winter. If you are lookin for that agressive look, i would recommend this tire. It all depends on the offset of the rim as well as the dimension of the tire. The All Terrains I have are just the stock tire size with the stock 16" rims (which have been painted). Fitting the my ex into the garage is just as easy as when the stocks were on. Summer gets a little more difficult becuase I run 285/35/22s with a 22" with around a +20 offset, so they stick out a little more than the +44 stocks. Goodluck finding the right tire.

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3156451

 

[1_v8_merc]

Hey guys just wanted to chime in.

As far as I can recall, I do believe the tranny shifts based on speed,etc, not just Rpms.
BUT...I was reading thru the users manual a while back, and it said that the ECU automatically corrects itself to LEARN new shift points based on the changes(tires).

And it's funny, because when i first got my mud tires, the tranny was definately shifting harder, and it concerned me alittle bit.
But after a few days or weeks, it just suddenly smoothed itself out.
Never had a problem since.

And i bet once I go back to stock tires, it's going to be doing the same thing again....maybe.

----

Oh yeah, and I agree, wider isn't always better.
Wider tires spreads the vehicles surface contact, which is good for dry or wet roads.
But it's not good for snow or mud necessarily. The more contact surface(wide) the vehicle has, the harder it becomes to get thru mud or snow.
(think of it like walking across ice, it you just walk across thinner ice, you'll fall right in, but if you spread you arms and legs out, you're covering more surface and spreading your weight out, less chance of falling thru.....same thing with snow or mud....the idea is to cut your way thru, NOT spread your weight out perfectly even.)

I can't even count how many people with jeep wranglers I've seen put massively wide tires on their trucks, then barely make it thru 1 foot of mud,lol. The wider you go, the more weight you need to keep those tires down!

 

[hazmat456]

1) vehicle manufactures always error on the side of caution when calibrating a speedometer i.e;read fast and are almost never accurate, increasing my tire size actually made mine closer to correct(read lower than actual but still closer at 70)
2)small changes (less than two inches)in tire size will have little effect on MPG an that may be positive, even though the tire weight increases the decreased gear ratio will compensate for it
3) if tranny shifts are based on speed refer to #1
4) abs/ traction control will not be affected unless there is a dramatic change in tire height(more than 5 inches)
5)tires will probably rub at full lock and full bump
6) a large change will necessitate a gear change
7) a larger tire will cost more
8) your center of gravity will go up, but if you also increase width your moment center(roll center) may stay the same

 

[hazmat456]

do it

 

[qcrun98]

I have the 265/75/16s on my 05 Ex, and I love them. They do raise the truck up about an inch, but its noticable the first couple times getting in and sitting in the truck. I bought my tires online, and the tire place up the block wouldnt install them cuz they said "they wouldn't fit". Like others have said, they probably just didn't want the liability. I then took it to a place by me called "The Truck Shop" and they had no problem with putting it on. They did do a little trimming, but you can go either way with that.

The tire shop may cut you a break on labor, but I've found that the price saved by finding a good deal online is better. For instance, I was able to get my Pro Comp Xtreme A/Ts for $600 to my door. Then it was $60 to mount and balance (another $60 for the trimming). So $720 with trimming, compared to $880 for the 255/55/16s the first place I went to wanted to charge me for BFGs (I think that was before tax too, but I'm not sure).

O, and if pictures will help you make your decision:

Thanks man I have been searching for about an hour to see a picture of 265/75 r16's on an 05 Explorer as I am getting mine installed tomorrow on my 05 Silver Explorer. Looks good man.

 

[jazzman]

Well I got my new tires yesterday, I ended up going with my normal size in Firestone Destination AT. Boring, I know Anyway thanks for the chat all!