I'm about to get a set of alloys for the Aerostar!

[loosenut349]

By the way, those are nice looking wheels and they will compliment the van nicely.

 

[JohnAerostarXLT]

Just a quick note, you can safely go 5 % larger than stock with no safety issues. A 215 70 16 tire is 215 MM wide so, 215+5%=10.75. add 10.75 MM to the 215MM and you come up with 225.75MM. obviously, there are no tires of this size so just drop the.75 and use a 225. The 70 is what is called the aspect ratio. 70 means the tires height is 70 % of its width. a 60 series tire means 60% of the width is the height and obviously a lower profile, but wider tire.

What would you suggest then, for a common size that would fit these wheels and be lower profile like a car tire?

Also, thanks for the compliment, I love the wheels but now am having a dickens of a time finding the right tire for them for my van. I love how they are a 'star' shape and my van is an Aero-"star" lol.

Whatever tires I find, it might be a while finding the money for them, :/

 

[loosenut349]

Tire size

I did a little research and found out that if you use a 235/60-16, your speedometer will be off by only 2.8 mph. With the 235/70-16 the speedometer error would be about 6.4 mph. So, if the tires that are on the new wheels are in decent condition, you could use them, just keep in mind the speedo error.

 

[JohnAerostarXLT]

Thanks for the info man, but I'm worried about clearance as well. I havn't tried putting them on but I do fear they wont work without spacers. My plan is to get different tires and now that I have your info, I have a general idea what to look for.

 

[JohnAerostarXLT]

Ok,I talked to tirerack.com and they were very helpful. They confirmed that the 16X7 Explorer wheel will fit the Aerostar and suggested I used 215-60-16 tires on them.


This is great news, because this means I share stock tire sizes with some (?) 2000-2007 Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable, so that leaves PLENTY of new and used tires out there.

Thanks for all your help guys, I do appreciate it.

 

[loosenut349]

I took one of the wheels off of my 02 explorer and put it on the front of my van. The wheel fit on but the 235/70-16 was too wide and the wheel offset was too negative( too far in.) So the tire hit the upper ball joint and would not turn. BB was right about them not fitting on the front. they will probably work with spacers. By the way, the torque for the lug nuts is 100 ft.lbs.

 

[JohnAerostarXLT]

I am very interested to see how they'll fit with the low profile 215/60-16 tires on them. Maybe they wont rub at all? I'm prepared to use spacers if I have to.