Problems buying Explorer tires

[lester]

Anybody had any problems trying to buy tires for an Explorer from any tire distributor?

I have been trying to buy Plus 1 or Plus 2 tires for my Sport recently and nobody will sell me tires that are different than the original tire size, 235x75x15.

I have tried online and in person. I have tried at Discount Trires, Tire Rack, etc.

Apparenlty Ford had threatened these distributors with law suits if they sell tires to customers that are different in size than stock tires. I though Ford said the problem with the Explorer was the Firestone tires. Now, Ford seems to be telling the tire distributors its the vehicle design that was causing them to roll over which is aggrivated by changing the tire sizes from stock.

Have you encountered this and what did you do?

Thanks.

 

[Rob_B]

If absolutely no shop will sell or mount the tires you want you could just lie. Order the tires from the interent but say it's for a different vehicle, when you get them take you rims off and have the store mount them straight on to the rims, if they ask just say u have a Ranger. It sucks but that's one way to go about it, even though it's a pain.

 

[TippsTheFoo]

I'm getting ready to buy a new set and think I'll go with 245/70-15, which is available @ TireRack in a few different brands...guess I'll have to say it's for something else. What size are you planning on running?

 

[PAExplorer]

I agree, although I try not to make a habit of it. Just Lie!
-E

 

[huskyfan23]

I remembered hearing a story about a TireRack order, and they wouldn't sell the tires because the vehicle they were going on was an Explorer. When I ordered my tires from them I said they were going on a '93 Cherokee. I couldn't find a place to mount my rims to my tires without trying to talk me out of it. They said the tires are dangerous on this type of vehicle, so they wouldn't mount them on my X because it's a liability thing.

 

[Nate1]

Just tell them you are putting them on a buggy you are making! For crying out loud, thats not lying, because explorers are a 'sort' of a buggy When I buy my tires, I'm either having them shipped with little to no mention of what they are going on, or I am bringing the shops the rims and telling them to mount the tires on them, and balance and everything, if they ask what they are going on, I will simply decline or say a 'personal project vehicle'.

 

[X~FACTOR]

How about buying just the tires (say its for a Ranger)and having them mounted by those sidewalk tire shop place?

 

[jrgaylor]

Where I get my tires (les schwabs) they wil go One size bigger or smaller than factory.
Joe

 

[RPheezy]

I wasn't able to buy bigger tires from America's/Discount Tire too. But I was able to buy them from Big O.

 

[Hartman]

Tire Rack will decline and flag your account if you try to order a non-stock size.

I ordered tires from tire rack just a few weeks ago........for my 2004 Porsche Cayenne.

 

[sncwfo99]

I just bought 31"s for my sport. Drove it to the shop told them what I wanted . The only concern they had was clearance since it is still stock height. told them that I was lifting it and they said okay

 

[PAExplorer]

You could buy from a place like desert rat who offers packages for tires and rims, mounted and balenced. No questions asked.
-E

 

[Robert]

Some Discount Tire stores were refusing to sell oversized tires that they knew were going on an Explorer. Someone here called the corporate office to complain and were told by the corporate office that the policy was only supposed to be enforced if the vehicle was at stock height. They told the Serious Explorations member that if the Explorer has been modifed to accept larger tires than all Discount Tire stores should sell them to the customer. They even called the store in question with the member on the other line. The member didn't have any problems getting them to install the tires after the phone call.

FWIW, I haven't ran in to those problems with our local Discount Tire stores here in the Phoenix area. When my already oversized 265 75R16 tires needed replaced a few months ago, the first Discount Tire store I walked in to had no problems selling me a set of 285 75R16 tires and mounting them. Neither have the other two stores that I have gone to since to get my tires rotated mentioned one word about it.

I did run in to hassles from Costco when I got my 265 tires. I got them two months before the Firestone issue made news and they refused to sell me any tires that weren't on their list of approved tire size chart. The funny thing was though that the largest tires on their list were 235 75R15 tires. The shop manager argued with me about m6 255 70R16 tires being stock and tried telling me that someone must have put them on after it left the factory. He shut up when I chanllenged him to walk out and look at my vehicle certification label inside my door jamb and also to look at my Owner's Guide showing them as an option. When he refused to go outside, I drove down the road to Disocunt Tire and got them to match Costco's price and sell me the 265 75R16 tires without hassles. The policy has been in affect since before the Firestone issue made news.

 

[lester]

Would not be the first time I bought tires with just the rims in the back of my truck.

Have not decided on tire size just yet. This is 2wd Sport at stock height.

I was thinking a little less sidewall provided by a 60 series tire might reduce the side to side sway some. The 235x75x15's have those tall sidewalls that wear fairly fast in the 25psi range and tend to be bouncy in the 30 psi range.

Considering 15x8 rims first, then deciding on tires. I have had good experience with 275x60x15 BFG TA's, I also like the 31x10.50x15 in the same line too.

This started when I checked Discount Tire's web site for clearance rims that might fit and tire availability.

Seems like everybody has had a similar experience some more or less extreme than others.

Thanks.

 

[expo5.0]

i run white saleen replicas in 18 by 9 and 18 by 10.5 in the rear with 255/55/18 up front and 285/50/18 nitto 404 tires in the rear on an awd 5.0 x.

Not a single place i walked into locally could find me the wheels so that they could sell them to me. i even went so far as to give them the website where i had found them on the internet. I just didn't want to have to pay shipping, but ended up just ordering from the internet guy and paying the shipping

for tires then no one would sell me tires obviously for an explorer with 18s no matter what. I told them i had a durango, they still wouldn't sell me the tires because they are different sizes... and it would wreck the 4wd. I told them it was 2wd and they finally sold them.

So the shop gets the tires in and i bring the rims and ask him to mount them up for me. He won't do it because he realizes its going on the x.

i took the tires and wheels to a different place and they had no problem mounting and balancing for me, but when i showed them what they wre for they told me they wouldn't even consider mounting them and i was a complete idiot. that i would ruin my transmission (among other things) by running two different tire sizes on an explorer. They even went so far as to call my father and tell hiim i was going to ruin my truck.

i grabbed my now mounted wheels and tires and mounted them myself and they've been on for like 5 months now with no problems (since of course teh overall diameter is what matters and they are the same)

moral- tire shops are #&#&#&

 

[udmsvt]

i got 2 of my 32s at disc tire and had no probs, but i am not at stock height either.

 

[huskyfan23]

They just wanna keep themselves' safe. They wouldn't mount my wheel on my X because they were 'unsafe', meaning they were bigger than stock. I said they were many members on here running this size and bigger, but at least they were nice enough to mount the tires to the rims. I spent 15 minutes mounting them onto the X at home, wasn't too big of a deal to me. I bet a 4x4 shop would've done it though.

 

[Premier]

I have never had a problem I go to Big-O and 4WP.

 

[zensius]

So what vehicle comes with 35 x 12.5 stock? I was on the Costco site and found those tires by doing a size search. But I couldn't find a vehicle, using vehicle search, that came with those wheels stock. Any ideas?

 

[Hokie]

So yeah, I ordered my tires (32") from a local shop that we're on a first name basis with the owner...

"32's, those gonna fit on your Explorer?"
"After I add 4" of lift yes"
"Cool, lemme see it after you get it done"




I love the local 'good 'ole boy' system