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What size should i get

Hey guys, so i got an 99' Explorer XLS, and currently using stock 15inch rims and the stock tires all seasons.

Im looking to buy some new rims + tires.

I dont do mudding/offroading, just a lot of highway and some city driving.

What size of rims and tires should i get? Im looking for something in between 18-20'' rim and 45-50 profile tires.

Will this be all right? or too small.
Also, what are the stock tires sizes?

Thanks:exp:
 



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OEM tire size should be printed on you're door sticker (also the tire store will know) i believe it's 235/75R15.. but dont hold me to it.

i'd go with OEM stock tire size (at least diameter and width) you can do what you like on the rim size that's personal preference. look for something with a smooth tread pattern for street driving, that'll give you the best fuel economy and least road noise.
 






Yea the width is going to be the same, but i want to go with something a bit bigger than the current diameter of the tires. Bigger tires/rims will give me a bit better highway mileage because its bigger, but less in city driving where i stop n go all the time.

I'm not sure what profile to go with :/. I know small profile kills the ride quality, and its not good for the rim, but i dont want it too fat either (like the stock 75 profile) Would you say 45-50 profile is fine for a truck? (no offroading of course).
 






Ok i just checked and you were right, tires are 235/75R15.
So according to a calculator , the diameter = 28.9''.
Now to get close (or a bit bigger ) with a 235/45 tire, i need: 21'' rim (20'' is too small).

Is a 235/45/21 tire + rims gonna look proper and good? Or will it look weird for a truck to have such small profile tires and only 235 wide? maybe go with 245s?

and how wide is the stock rim anyway?

OK Edit: Been looking around and found these: http://www.wheelfire.com/scontent/WheelDetails.cfm?IDNumber=006 steal&SKU=3109

Problem is they are 8.5'' instead of the stock 7''. The tires are 275/45, so overall i will increase the total diameter of the car by about 1 inch which is fine.
What do you guys think?
Only problem is, im in Canada :(
 






Buy 24"s, and be done with it. Or go with a 22". Look at it like this, a 23" tire almost costs more than a 24". The reason is, how many people have 23"s, answer, not many. Its your truck, what ever you pick, you will wish you went bigger. Trust me, I had 20", then I bought 24"s, then I saw a guy with 26"s on his ex, and was a bit pissed that I didnt do 6's from the start.
 






Buy 24"s, and be done with it. Or go with a 22". Look at it like this, a 23" tire almost costs more than a 24". The reason is, how many people have 23"s, answer, not many. Its your truck, what ever you pick, you will wish you went bigger. Trust me, I had 20", then I bought 24"s, then I saw a guy with 26"s on his ex, and was a bit pissed that I didnt do 6's from the start.

Are you serious?? But with 24'' i need such a low profile tire, because everything will start to rub, and when turning, the wheels will touch the sides. And this will kill the ride quality with such low profile tires.

Here is an example which i think is perfect: http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/2/3379/541/20945270010_large.jpg

20'' and i think the perfect profile for the tires.
 






Are you serious?? But with 24'' i need such a low profile tire, because everything will start to rub, and when turning, the wheels will touch the sides. And this will kill the ride quality with such low profile tires.

Here is an example which i think is perfect: http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/2/3379/541/20945270010_large.jpg

20'' and i think the perfect profile for the tires.

Yes, i am serious. 24"s will have a low pro tire, and ride quality... This truck isnt a caddy. My rims and tires dont even think about rubbing, turning the wheel 100% either way. What "sides" will the wheels touch?

15, 20" 24"
152024.jpg


26"s
261.jpg


by they way, the 6"s ride great.

24"s
24s-1.jpg


vs, the 20"S. Too much tire.
20s.jpg
 






Yes, i am serious. 24"s will have a low pro tire, and ride quality... This truck isnt a caddy. My rims and tires dont even think about rubbing, turning the wheel 100% either way. What "sides" will the wheels touch?

15, 20" 24"
152024.jpg


26"s
261.jpg


by they way, the 6"s ride great.

24"s
24s-1.jpg


vs, the 20"S. Too much tire.
20s.jpg
Thanks for the pictures.
Question: Is your truck lifted in any way?? in the picture with the 20'' rims?

And looking at the pic with 15'', 20'' and 24'' the 20'' rim + tire are smaller than the 15'', i think it needs more tire.

So hard to decide :(
 






Thanks for the pictures.
Question: Is your truck lifted in any way?? in the picture with the 20'' rims?

And looking at the pic with 15'', 20'' and 24'' the 20'' rim + tire are smaller than the 15'', i think it needs more tire.

So hard to decide

Didn't want to quote the pics again. Ok, NO LIFT AT ALL. Too much wheel well... (sp?) Again, It's all up to you man. As im sure you can tell the 6"s got a 6" lift kit. Yes, it is a HUGE decision. Good Luck. Ha Ha.
 






I like the 20'' look but with bigger tire.

Now i am wondering, Lets say i have a 7'' wide rim (stock), how wide can my tires be ?? stock right now is 235, can i go for 245, 255 etc? Whats or if the rim is 8'' wide.
Help
THanks!
 






I like the 20'' look but with bigger tire.

Now i am wondering, Lets say i have a 7'' wide rim (stock), how wide can my tires be ?? stock right now is 235, can i go for 245, 255 etc? Whats or if the rim is 8'' wide.
Help
THanks!

Look, I don't mind helping out a bit, but I won't do all of your homework...
 






Yea, im doing my homework on the side, and 265 will have no problems fitting on 7- 9''.
Now just gotta find the best deal. Im looking at 265/50/20, just around 1.5inches bigger than stock tires.
Edit: Whats an approximate price on changing the tires on a rim? any ideas
Thanks
 






Yea, im doing my homework on the side, and 265 will have no problems fitting on 7- 9''.
Now just gotta find the best deal. Im looking at 265/50/20, just around 1.5inches bigger than stock tires.
Edit: Whats an approximate price on changing the tires on a rim? any ideas
Thanks

It depends on where you go. Wal-Mart charges a few bucks for the mount and balance. A shop I used to work for had the price included in the tire price.
 






Buy 24"s, and be done with it. Or go with a 22". Look at it like this, a 23" tire almost costs more than a 24". The reason is, how many people have 23"s, answer, not many. Its your truck, what ever you pick, you will wish you went bigger. Trust me, I had 20", then I bought 24"s, then I saw a guy with 26"s on his ex, and was a bit pissed that I didnt do 6's from the start.

Yes, wow, that looks sooooo coooollll! NOT!!!!

Didn't want to "quote" the pics, as that makes the thread very large, but they look absolutly rediculous. Absolute ghetto trash!

16"s, 17"s maybe, as they may improve handling if done right. Anything more then that, especially on an SUV, and especially 24"s/26"s is just foolish. It shows you know nothing about how a vehicles suspension system works. (Yes, wheels/tires are part of the suspension.)

Sidewall height and air pressure, along with tread compund and sidewall construction/stiffness all contribute to both handling and ride quality. The aforementioned variables control and tire/wheel combinations "spring rate". These stupid large wheels and rubber band thin tires have no spring rate. Unless you are driving on Autobahn quality roads (If you live in the US, you're not driving on good enough roads, period!), it will ride like total crap, and will put extreme stress on all other vehicle components, from the vibration and impact harshness of hitting/riding over potholes, ruts, and even minor road imperfections.

As far as claiming any handling improvements, nope, don't think so. Tires with so little "give" will tend to "hook into" any/all "ruts" and bumps in the road, and follow them. It's called tram-lining. Google it, although I may have spelled it wrong. Also, any minor gains in steering precision you MAY have gained, under ideal circumstances, with such large wheels/low-pro tires, is more then offset by the increased center-of-gravity which results from the 6" lift that you needed to clear the tires, not to mention the increased stress/wear on your driveline/suspension/steering components, just from the lift alone; never mind the added factors from the tires/wheels.

As for performance/hp/mpg/etc....: To address the OP's goal of gearing changes for better mpg, this NOT the way to do it. If you need/want to change your final drive ratio, then change your gears.

With wheels/tires this large, there is no performance gain, period! There will be a performance loss, actually. First, they are heavier than a stock wheel/tire combo, and the wheels are one of the worst places to add weight to a vehicle. Out there, it is not just static weight. It is unsprung, rotating weight. Increasing unsprung weight has negative effects on handling. Rotating weight has an "effective" weight far greater than actual, due to centrifigual force. It takes more energy to acclerate that weight from a stop, and, once moving (turning), it takes much more force to stop it. That means, bigger wheels, means you NEED bigger brakes to compensate. (ok, maybe going to 16", or 17" aftermarket aluminum probably won't, as they are typically lighter than a stock 15") As the diameter of the wheel increases, this effect only becomes more pronounced. Yes, I'm sure a bunch of fools are going to jump in and say "but eye's ain't gots no bigger breaks ons my "laced out whip" yo!, and ain't crashed yet." Maybe they're just lucky, or maybe when they cruise the local ghetto for "*****es", they aren't going more then a crawl. Either way, it's a disaster waiting to happen. Bigger wheels = you NEED bigger brakes. $$$$

Oh yeah, as for that gear ratio "change" from the bigger wheel/tires, first, if you want you're computer controlled tranny to live, and shift properely, you'll need a programmer, such as an Xcal3, to program the new tire size in. Even if you do, don't expect the tranny to live as long as it normally would. You're asking it to work much harder, both from the increased rotating weight it needs to accelrate, as well as from reducing the "mechanical advantage" that gearing provides, by having a "taller", or numerically lower, final drive ratio. Any small mpg gain you might see from that "taller" gearing, on steady state highway driving, will be more then offset by the loss of low end torque multiplication, and reduced acceleration capabilites, at lower speeds, from a stop, and around town.

If all you care about is "bling", and whether or not you can impress Will from "Unique Whips", then sure, why not put 26"s, or even 36"s on it. Hell, how about some chome spinners from the "Escalade" monster truck????

On the other hand, if you want a drivable, safe, sane vehicle, with some reasonable improvements in performance, handling, and mpg; then don't go bigger than a 17", or maybe, if you really must, an 18".
 






Hi carguy. I am not totally going for better mpg, so we can i guess forget that. 2nd: I guess i didnt state this: I have a 5spd manual, OVH engine, so no one can beat my mpg with the same car. So i cant reprogram anything and i love my manual. but anyway forget mpg, its a truck after all.

Now as for the weight, i don't know how these aftermarket rims + tires weight, but the stock rusty all season rims and tires are damn heavyyyyy.

And what i would like is a balance, between eye candy and usefulness
As you can see i am not going with all chrome, i want black rims and chrome lip, so not the biggest eye catcher. Also my main concern again is not to have THIN tires, i could have said in my OP, im looking to slap on some dubs 26''.. so i am looking at 20'' rim + 265/50/20 tires. this gives me about 1 inch bigger diameter than my current stock ones so i think that is not too bad, yet with 20'' i still have relatively thick tires.
Like you, i also hate seeing cars with tires thinner than my finger. it just makes me feel sad for the car.

anyway back to the tires:
http://www.ayosdito.ph/images/95/9500004966.jpg

These are 265/50/20 I think they arent that thin, yet they dont look like huge mud tires..

What do you think?
 






A general rule of thumb on tires is anything less than a "50 series" sidewall will usually ride like a dump truck. This isn't the case on wide tires with a 40 or 45 series sidewall profile, but still a good general rule.

A good size to replace the stock 235/75R15s, and have a balance between the functionality of a truck/SUV and the performance of a lower profile tire would be a 18" rim with a 255/55R18 tire.

20's are as big as I'd suggest on the Explorer. 255/45R20's are what you want for a 29" tire diameter, same as stock. Usually 265/45R20's are used if 255's can't be found, even though they are slightly larger (26.4").

265/50R20's are a little big at 30.4". You can of course run these if you have low enough stock axle gearing, but the additional weight that comes with the larger rims makes for more weight the engine must push, even with the higher gearing.

Usually it really comes down to pricing, what's popular, and what's available. If the size that fits perfectly is uncommon, and a slightly different size is hundreds of dollars cheaper, or you can get a deal on a rim and tire package even though it's larger/smaller, people tend to go with that.


Don't worry about the 22-26" wheels and rubberband sidewall tires unless you're into that kind of thing. Some people think it looks cool, but MAN it must cost a lot to replace wheels every time you hit a pothole or something. They are really meant for show, but people do drive on them...
 






I dont even know where to begin here... I like big rims and small tires. Thats it. As far as you knocking big rims, thats fine. The important thing to remember is, IT IS NOT YOUR TRUCK! As far as the "ghetto trash" comment, I would like to say I am far from it. Also, you ASSUME, "It shows you know nothing about how a vehicles suspension system works. (Yes, wheels/tires are part of the suspension.)" I guess you know me better than I do...

I am worried about performance... with my v-6 explorer. This is not a sports car, and I don't really mind that. What would make a rim that is made with more metal (seeing as it is BIGGER) weigh more? Wow...

Again a "ghetto" comment... Yeah, with big rims you will crash... Thats like saying, "if you drive a car, you will hit a pedestrian in a cross walk...

I could care less, what anyone says about MY TRUCK, and MY TASTE in aftermarket additions.

Last time I checked, tires for the 24"s are 204$ or 208$ each...
 






I dont even know where to begin here... I like big rims and small tires. Thats it. As far as you knocking big rims, thats fine. The important thing to remember is, IT IS NOT YOUR TRUCK! As far as the "ghetto trash" comment, I would like to say I am far from it. Also, you ASSUME, "It shows you know nothing about how a vehicles suspension system works. (Yes, wheels/tires are part of the suspension.)" I guess you know me better than I do...

I am worried about performance... with my v-6 explorer. This is not a sports car, and I don't really mind that. What would make a rim that is made with more metal (seeing as it is BIGGER) weigh more? Wow...

Again a "ghetto" comment... Yeah, with big rims you will crash... Thats like saying, "if you drive a car, you will hit a pedestrian in a cross walk...

I could care less, what anyone says about MY TRUCK, and MY TASTE in aftermarket additions.

Last time I checked, tires for the 24"s are 204$ or 208$ each...


Damn dude I got my 26 inch low pros for that price.
 






Then I guess I need to get my tires from your place.
 



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