Newbie Question On Tires

[ohbuggerit2k2]

Hi,

I should start off by saying that other than driving cars I know sweet nothing about them, and some would say that having seen my driving I know nothing about that too.

Just managed to get hold of a 2010 Sport Trac XLT 4.0L here in Dubai. Not too many of them around here any more so I am feeling pretty pleased with myself over getting it. It comes with Ford 17" rims and the tires are 265/65R17, but they look pretty lost in the wheel bay and are pretty worn so need to be replaced.

So I have asked locally to see whether I can put a bigger tyre on the 17" rim say a 285/75R17 and they just stare at me blankly. You guys are obviously very clued up so I thought I might get a sensible answer here. I don't want to change the rims frankly because I cannot afford to, but a set of tyres is within my budget.

Not sure if its relevant but I do get some opportunity to drive around 100mph on some of the desert roads and obviously its pretty hot here all year round.

So my question is: Do you know what the biggest size tyre I could put on a standard Ford Sport Trac 17" rim is?

Thanks for your help

 

[JohnnyO]

My neighbor has a regular Explorer with 265/70-17 tires. They fill up the fenders pretty good and he says they don't rub.

 

[ohbuggerit2k2]

JohnnyO - Thanks for that.

 

[ohbuggerit2k2]

In the end I went with Michelin XT2 265/70R17.

Have to say pretty disappointed with the road noise at the rear. Everyone says they are great tyres but they are noisier than the stock ford ones that came off.

I had the wheels re-balanced, the tires re-fitted but still noisy. Tomorrow its a 4 wheel alignment to see if that helps, other than that I guess I have to put up with the noise which is a shame.

 

[fifthranger]

Some tire shops in the US have a satisfaction warranty where you can return the tires within 500 miles if dissatisfied with them. I have to get tires for my Ranger, but lucky I have 225/70/15, I believe. Good luck.

 

[ohbuggerit2k2]

Another dumb ass question................The Michelin LTX XT2 has one side with raised white outline "Michelin" twice on the tire wall. The local dealer has put the tires on with this decal inside rather than showing, when I asked he said it was not meant to be raised white outline side facing out!!!

Is that right?? No Michelin proper here in Dubai so I cannot ask, but it seems strange to put raised white lettering on a tire to have it inside and not on show.

Some other folks reckon the tires can be fitted either way round, but I always thought tread patterns were designed to work one way only.

PLEASE tell me my tires are on right and that they have not fitted them the wrong way...................

Thanks.

 

[Joe Dirt]

They can be mounted either way. The LTX is not a directional tread like a high performance tire... Odd that they're loud- the LTX's are actually supposed to be quite quiet. My father has them on his 2011 F150, and they're super quiet. Maybe you have a bad belt in one of your tires or something. Have the shop rotate the rears to the front and see if the noise moves.

 

[ohbuggerit2k2]

Joe - thanks for the info. I will get them changed round and rotated and see what that does.

The noise issue is frustrating as I bought them precisely because they are supposed to be quiet, but here in Dubai, Customer Service is none existent. As soon as you pay that is you done and customer service and customer satisfaction are two words that no one here understands.

 

[Ticobird]

Did you notice any excess tire noise before you had the new tires installed? It might be hard to remember but if you can remember it could be a clue in case the noise isn't from the new tires. Sorry about the customer satisfaction being non-existent where you are. It appears you have no recourse but to try what has been mentioned already. Also you may want to reconsider the cost of an alignment unless your ST steers badly or pulls to one side or the other. Noises can originate from many causes and often the perceived noise is not what might be causing it. I wrote about a problem I had with a front wheel bearing. The noise associated with this problem was awful in that it reduced my driving enjoyment but did not affect the steering except for the noise to increase when turning at speed like through a constant radius turn. Again, good luck. I look forward to reading what you do to fix your problem.

 

[ohbuggerit2k2]

Ticobird - No there was definitely no tyre noise before I changed them. I had the wheel alignment done and still the noise persists so either the tyres I was sold are duff or the fault lies elsewhere. The ,local Ford Dealer is taking it in for investigation as they acknowledged the noise on a test drive, so hopefully they will come up with a solution - I will let you know.