Need opinions on wheels and tires

[Eric1249]

I have a 2004 Explorer. I haven't done much to it untill I started looking at the pics on and looking at the threads/posts.

I recently added black headlights and corners. New Westin Sure Grip step bars are in the garage and a BTF spacer is being put in as I type this. I went with 1.5 in the rear and 2.5 in the front.

Now I am looking at rims and tires. They will go on in spring. (WI winter is almost here). Right now there are 16 inch rims/tires on there.

What are the opinions on 16 or 17 inch rims? I want to wheels to stick out alittle more then the stockers. Maybe flush with the fender and not past. Would 8in or 9in width be the way to go?

I would like to get a little bigger tire. I don't want to have to change the gears. I just want to fill the wheel well alittle better. What would be a good size to go with? I would like to also try to avoid any rubbing.

You can tell I am a new guy with these questions. lol.

Thanks
Eric H

 

[LONO100]

are you going for a street look or an off road look?

 

[Eric1249]

Going for an off road look. I got black runningboards and I am going to go with black rims

 

[Wills05xlt4x4]

Www.Treadwright.com

 

[DoraThe_Explorer]

Also look around on Craigslist and other sites like that for wheels if you are trying to save money. If your going for an offroad look I would go wit 15' wheels and 31's or so.

Just a wild suggestion.

 

[JawzSS]

Are treadwright tires decent? Are there alot of guys running them? Asking cuz I'm gona be ordering tires this week and was looking at the general grabber at2 which are a bit more expensive. Just never heard of them that's y I ask.. They are much more aggressive and cheaper so def interested.

Sorry didn't mean to hijack

 

[JSHaag]

Get the grabber AT2s cant go wrong with them, ive had them for a year and a half and have barely any tread wear, plus they handle well in all conditions, ive been wheeling in mud, sand, snow, you name it and ive never been hung up, plus there not to noisy and handle great in dry conditions, in my opinion they are the perfect all terrain tire...

 

[JawzSS]

Get the grabber AT2s cant go wrong with them, ive had them for a year and a half and have barely any tread wear, plus they handle well in all conditions, ive been wheeling in mud, sand, snow, you name it and ive never been hung up, plus there not to noisy and handle great in dry conditions, in my opinion they are the perfect all terrain tire...

yea they seem to be a great all around tire from what i hear. However, i do like the treadwright guard dog m/t...a little more aggressive and only $109 ea! Just have never heard of the brand and sometimes with tires cheaper isnt always the best way to go, which was why I was hoping for some feedback from those who have experience with the treadwright brand.

 

[JawzSS]

would 275s fit my stock 16" wheels with a 1" wheel spacer?

 

[Jwigs7]

If your going for an offroad look I would go wit 15' wheels and 31's or so.

16 inches is the smallest wheel size one can go in our Explorers.

Eric, If I were you I would stay with 16in wheels in the aftermarket world. For some reason, I find that tires seem to be cheaper when made for a 16 in wheel rather than a 17. As far as the wheels themselves go, width isnt really as important when trying to get them to stick out more than stock. You want to be looking at offset and backspacing. Here is a really good link for learning about aftermarket wheels and figuring out how much offset you want: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153350. From what your saying tho, I would go with a wheel that has around 4.5in backspacing.

 

[Wills05xlt4x4]

Are treadwright tires decent? Are there alot of guys running them? Asking cuz I'm gona be ordering tires this week and was looking at the general grabber at2 which are a bit more expensive. Just never heard of them that's y I ask.. They are much more aggressive and cheaper so def interested.

Sorry didn't mean to hijack

They are amazing on and off road amazing customer service plus a 2yr 24k warranty...
Mine are on a bridgestone dueller shell... Always a matching set...

IMAG0143 by billyssingle, on Flickr
Also Treadwrights were the only thing to make it up a hill at fishfood's place unaided......

 

[Ronin8002]

Treadwright also makes the Warden which is a tire similar to the BFG AT/General Grabber AT2.

+1 for the Treadwright Guard Dogs. Good quality work, balanced well, and the ride quality is good. Will be testing them offroad soon but I can attest they did well on Wills05XLT4x4's truck when we were out on a run in Sept. I was impressed enough with that and the price that I got a set myself

 

[Eric1249]

Thanks for the input guys. My Explorer is the same color as Wills that he pusted. I think I willgo with 16inch rims. I have all winter to pay everything off. It is usually the HD that gets all the changes over winter.

 

[JawzSS]

Ronin - love you truck man. Very clean and well done! i am going to be placing my order for the guard dogs in a few days.

 

[4rd4life]

Get the grabber AT2s cant go wrong with them, ive had them for a year and a half and have barely any tread wear, plus they handle well in all conditions, ive been wheeling in mud, sand, snow, you name it and ive never been hung up, plus there not to noisy and handle great in dry conditions, in my opinion they are the perfect all terrain tire...

x2 i agree great tire...

i have thought about retreaded tires from treadwrite for a while and have heard good things. never anything about them coming apart or anything. i may get some on another set of rims

 

[Ronin8002]

Ronin - love you truck man. Very clean and well done! i am going to be placing my order for the guard dogs in a few days.

Thx! they might be on backorder for a few weeks (mine were). Recommend load range C for those tires BTW.

 

[Eric1249]

I am either going to go with a 16 inch or 17 inch wheel. For the width should I go with 8 inch or 9 inch?

 

[Ronin8002]

If you're running 265 or 285 then 8 inch is fine.

 

[goatman]

Remember... The 2nd Gen wheels on the 3rd Gen have the right offset to set the wheel out to the edge of the wheel well (+12 vs. +42). Got mine for 20 bucks a piece from the junk yard. Running 275/70/16 Yokohama Geolander H/T-S.

 

[tkd91]

I believe any 94-04 mustang rim will fit. I do know that an 05 and up mustang rims have the same offset and bolt pattern. But I'm not sure if our hubs fit right with those.