Tire question

[nugrapeman2]

I recently a purchased a 99 Explorer XLT. Runs and drives fine. I noticed yesterday that the tires on the front are 235/75/15 while the ones on the back are 225/75/15. Will this damage the vehicle or could it be a sign of an issue. It looks like they just got two new tires for the back and i'm assuming they couldn't get them in the correct size. Should i remove them..

 

[AlexSport'00]

The one's in the back are slightly smaller in height and width, but I'm pretty sure you should be fine....I think.
Are you 2wd? Or 4wd? Or AWD?
If you haven't noticed an issue then you're probably fine.

 

[nugrapeman2]

Its a 2wd..

 

[AlexSport'00]

Then you'll be fine. Just make sure that you always have the same size tire on the same axle. So the rear will either have the bigger tires or the smaller ones, not one of each. The only issue if you have a tire blow, I'm not sure which size your spare is. So you'll probably want to get all 4 same size tires (and the spare the same size) if you've got the money for it at some point in the future. Shouldn't be a big deal or a worry for you though.

 

[toypaseo]

One possible problem is that your ABS might not like the mismatched sizes. I am not 100% sure... just a guess

 

[SoNic67]

Just get two other equal size tires, as specified on your door jam. As is you have increased the risk of roll-over in a turn.

 

[nugrapeman2]

I planned on getting 4 new ones early next year anyways. The two on the front have a quite of bit of wear on them. Off brand as well. Do you think its worth the price to put Michelins on there or maybe a cheaper ones. I like Michelins and had them on my 2000 xlt. But i really don't know if their worth the extra price. Anybody had Uniroyal Laredo's on their explorer?

 

[SoNic67]

Michelin are very nice, if you find the right ones (I am looking at LTX® M/S2). However Ford requested manufacturers to warn about installing any other tires from OE ones - remember the rollover fiasco due to tires on the 15" rims?
If you use manufacturer web-site selectors, either Michelin or Uniroyal don't make equals to OE tires for our Explorers. Those are the Goodyear Wrangler RT/S as far as I know (mine). Horrible ride quality, low mileage.
Also, if you don't drive a lot of miles per year, Michelin are overkill, they will be sun-rot before wear out. They have warranty for 70k miles, at only 10k pe year, it means 7 years. IMO, rubber lasts 5-6 years in direct sun.

 

[jremington59]

I bought 4 brand new Laredo's because I got a great deal on them. I've driven them about 7 thousand miles and they've shown almost no wear.

 

[nugrapeman2]

I may go with the Laredos. They are about $25 dollars per tire cheaper than the Michelins locally.