Rims and Tires for Winter/Snow

[spoon]

Hi all

I have just bought a Ford Explorer 1991 model (not 4wheel drive) here in Norway. The car doesnt have winter-rims yet and I am now looking to buy some rims as well as wintertyres for it

The tyresize that is on it now is 235/75/15 and my question really is what size rim it is that I should be looking at ?

thanks for your response !!

Jack

 

[Mike]

Hello, And welcome to the board! your going to find all the info you could ever need on your explorer and the people here are great!!


as far as your question, any rims should be fine. stock 15" with some A/t tires should do. I have GoodYear A/Ts on my 2001 and they are GREAT in the winter.



agin welcome!



Mike

 

[sunbum]

IMHO:
I switched from 235s to 31s... much better grip as far as the BF Goodrich AT KOs were concerned. Winter rims? BAH.
I use that tire for all seasons. These fit the stock 15" rims... no need for extra expense unless you really want to go a lot larger, which will incur other headaches and expenses, but it sounded to me like you just wanted to get by for the Norwegian winter. This should do the trick nicely, but you can search the site for Tire references as well (note the spelling, which will ensure search success).

 

[spoon]

Thanks for the speedy replies !

I guess my main issue is that I want I separate set of wheels for the winter so that I can change the wheels in Oct/Mar myself. Furthermore, everyone keeps telling me that I really do need special snow tires, preferably studded). You wouldnt believe what it costs to have just the tires (thanks for the spelling correction) changed on a set of rims :-(

Searching around I also see that some people are referring to the bolt diameter ? Is that something that I should be considering when purchasing new rims ?

 

[Bwana Bob]

Winter tires

Hello Jack,

For tires ("tires is the American English spelling, "tyres" is the British English spelling, so both are correct) I use Michelin LTX M/S (Mud and Snow). I asked Michelin what is best for snow, ice and wet roads and they said that in this case the M/S is better than the LTX A/T (All Terrain). A tire dealer told me that the LTX M/S is better than the new Michelin Cross Terrain. If you look at the LTX M/S tread pattern, you can see many small "sipes" which help the tire to grip beter on slippery surfaces.

One note of caution: The 2WD Explorer does not handle as well in snow as the 4WD. You may need to put additional weight in the back.

You can get user evaluations of tires and suggested types at http://tirerack.com



Bwana Bob

 

[spoon]

OK,

When you are referring to 15" I presume that you mean that the rim size is 15x7 ?

Whilst reading a lot of the other posts on this forum I notice that many of you are putting different size tires on a standard 15x7 rim. For the best performance in snow and icy conditions, what size tire should I be looking for and should I consider studded or non-studded ?


One last question, I also see tire sizes quoted in inches. What is the equivalent for a 235/75R15 in inches or US size ??

Jack

 

[sunbum]

I'm quite aware of the spelling differences, however, since you're on an American server, you undoubtedly would have far greater success searching for "tires"(regardless of their correctness in each homeland. ) Just trying to save your fingers from growing tyred from typing things in twice. heh

 

[TracerBullett]

 

[TracerBullett]

Originally posted by TracerBullett
One last question, I also see tire sizes quoted in inches. What is the equivalent for a 235/75R15 in inches or US size ??

235 is the width of the tire in millimeters. There are 25 mm in an inch, so take 235 and divide by 25 hence 235/25 = 9.4 inches which equals the contact patch of the tire ( the part that should be touching the asphalt with proper inflation)

 

[Bashman]

235/75/R15 roughly computes to 29X9.5 15 US size.
For winter rims, most people here just purchase cheap steel rims as we don't care about the look of the vehicle that much during winter. Stock rims are 15X7 with 4.5" backspacing. Any dedicated snowtire will perform better than any a/t or m/s. The studs will help out under icy conditions. If you do a lot of driving through the mountains I would spend the extra $$ and go for studs.

 

[hydroxy]

Just curious, would he have any rubbing issues with that wide of a tire? I know the stock ones are about 7"

Also, I have the michelin M/S - it snowed about 6' in 3 days here in VA (a lot for where I live, maybe not where you live) and I never had any trouble whatsoever getting around even in unplowed areas.

-Patrick

 

[Bashman]

Mine came with the 9.5" wide tires stock. On gen 1 ploders 10.5" wide is where you possibly start rubbing without lifting.

 

[Crankcase]

By the way..the bolt pattern spacing on Explorers is 5 X 4.5".

 

[spoon]

Thanks guys,
Great forum, lots of useful information, lots of nice and helpfull people !!
thx
'Jack

 

[spoon]

Backspacing

Help !

I have just been offered some 15x7 rims that are fitted on a Cherokee. I have been told the bolt pattern is 5x4.5" with backspacing of 35mm (or 1.4"). Is the backspacing too much/little. Will it fit my Explorer ????

Thanks a lot
Jack

 

[hydroxy]

Bolt pattern is right, and I'm pretty sure the backspacing is alright. Wait for someone else to respond before taking my word for it though =P

you getting these rims for free?

 

[spoon]

Free ??? YOu must be kidding. I live in Norway and rims dont come cheap, not even used :-(
Made some inquires to have them shipped from the US but that gets very very expensive too. The guy want about 75$ a piece so I dont want to take the risk of them not fitting. Cheapest new price I found was about 175$ !!

 

[spotted dogs]

cherokee rims...

I am running jeep cherokee rims for winter on my truck with michelin 4x4 alpins. love the tires....as far as rim fit..they fit ok, but with a little too much backset. That said I double checked with my local tire shop and they said that the amount the backset is off is not really worth worrying about (so I didn't).

I think alec responded with the actual #'s regarding backset of jeep and explorer rims.

So on my 98 they did work...the price was good too so if you get a deal, they should do the trick.
I notice that no one responded about winter tires other than the bfg's)...in your neck of the woods the nokian hakkapellitaas would be a good bet. They are getting very popular where I live...excellent traction wet, ice snow. Here in North America, tires that get a "snowflake" rating indicate that they pass the minimum trwction/rubber compound recommended for winter tires. Just check for that symbol and you probably won't go too wrong.
check out these links...
http://www.snowtire.info/
and
http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/cml/snow_tires.htm

good luck

 

[5.0Dad]

Have you looked at Green Diamond tires? I think they either come from or are more widely available in your part of the world. They are a remanufactured tire with carbide granules embedded in the tread. The link is for the US distributor.
greendiamondtire.com/index.html