Winter Tires for Stock '02

[mrtommytcd]

I have been an '02 owner for a year. It's about time to get new tires, and was hoping to upgrade my wheels as well. I am an avid snowboarder (which is one of the reasons I bought my Explorer to begin with), so I need some winter tires.

I'd like something a little oversized, but that will fit without any modifications (to the wheel well or fenders). I am looking to get a bigger wheel, but if I can get a good tire for the stock rims, that would be fine as well.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions/assistance you can provide...

-Tom

 

[old mechanic]

First off the narrower the tire the better in the snow. Go to www.tirerack.com put your EX in and see what they have to offer. Check the tires ratings there too. They offer a good tire and wheel combo too if you don't want to change over every year.
You do know that with the new siped snow tires you should put them on all 4 wheels, right?
Not the very best but I have used Cooper Discover M+S tires quite often on all of my cars-trucks-SUV's www.coopertires.com and they have never failed me in any road conditions.
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BTW: Welcome to best EX forums around.

 

[mrtommytcd]

Call it being young and dumb, but I'm kinda looking for a tire/wheel combo that's rather flashy. I have looked at Tirerack, but am not sure the dimensions that are going to give me something that will work well, and will also be an attention-getter. I want them to look "not-stock" if that makes sense...

Thank you for the help, though. I also did not know that narrower tires were better for the snow.

 

[EMG7895]

I've had really good luck with michelin ltx a/t, great tire with very good wear. I have bfg a/t now and they seem to do very well in the snow also.

 

[old mechanic]

Call it being young and dumb, but I'm kinda looking for a tire/wheel combo that's rather flashy. I have looked at Tirerack, but am not sure the dimensions that are going to give me something that will work well, and will also be an attention-getter. I want them to look "not-stock" if that makes sense...

Thank you for the help, though. I also did not know that narrower tires were better for the snow.

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Many tire places will NOT put anything but stock tires on a EX because of all the issues with them rolling over. Just keep that in mind also. Best to find a installer for oversized tires first. OH, and U Haul will not rent a trailer to anyone with an EX either because of the rollover issues.

 

[A1C_Snowman]

I drove in 13" of snow last year with my good ol run of the mill A/T's. Didn't have a single problem.

 

[mrtommytcd]

Hey guys... I did some browsing and found the sticky on the wheels forum that said 265/75/r16 are the largest tires that will fit on a stock Ex without shaving fenders. The tires I have now are 235/70/r16. Will those tires fit on my rims? Basically, will 75 fit a 70? Or will I need to get 265/70/r16? Also, mechanic, you were saying narrower tires will do better in snow, is that second number 70 vs 75 the width of the tread? If so, I am thinking the 70s will do better for me. Is this correct?

Here are the two I am looking at:

Goodyear Wrangler MT/R
and

Michelin LTX M/S

THANKS!

 

[old mechanic]

75 is narrower than 70 but not by much if your not going to drive daily in the snow. Remember to check if someone will install any oversized tire for you. My son had good luck in the snow with the Wranglers M/TR's you are showing. Just a little to noisey for our hunting trips 200-400 miles away. But did great going thru 2 miles of unplowed snow dirt roads to get to our cabin.

 

[mrtommytcd]

I can handle the road noise... with winter coming up, I'll be in the snow at least 2 times a week. Plus, those oversized tires are the look that I'm aiming for. I'll look around and find an installer, but I assume Les Schwab will do it, won't they? Would a individual shop (versus a chain like Les Schwab) be more likely to do the install? Also, will they fit on my stock 235/70/r16 wheel?

I'm LOVING this forum. You guys are alright! I hope one of these days I can add my own advice to some of these threads...

T

 

[jrford]

For my Jeep (Ford is stock BFGoodrichs not nearly as good can't wait to upgrade), I have Michelin LTX A/T with about 30k on them, an they still have more than half tread. They make a 265/75/16 i believe. Best snow tire i ever had and with the 4wd the truck runs like a snowmobile.

 

[volkl]

I can handle the road noise... with winter coming up, I'll be in the snow at least 2 times a week. Plus, those oversized tires are the look that I'm aiming for. I'll look around and find an installer, but I assume Les Schwab will do it, won't they? Would a individual shop (versus a chain like Les Schwab) be more likely to do the install? Also, will they fit on my stock 235/70/r16 wheel?

I'm LOVING this forum. You guys are alright! I hope one of these days I can add my own advice to some of these threads...

T

235 represents the width; 70 represents the profile (i.e. tire height is 70% of tire width). Thus a 235/75 is taller but no wider than a 235/70. For snow traction, 235 is generally much better than 265. Wider tires have to plow through more snow and are more prone to spinning and sliding. Also, a low profile tire (under 50) performs worse in snow because it has less flex. Although I wouldn't really call a /70 low profile. I drive on snow regularly every weekend from November-April and can tell the difference between a narrower width.

For real traction, get tires with the snowflake symbol on the sidewall; the M+S rating means next to nothing. It simply means the tire has at least a certain void percentage in the tread pattern; there are no minimum performance requirements for an M+S rating.

Winter tires should only be installed in sets of four. And if you have AWD, the circumference needs to match on all tires (no over-sized tires on back). If you have the money and garage space, you are better off with a dedicated set of winter tires and a dedicated set of summer tires. Do yourself a favor and forget trying to drive on snow with over-sized extra wide "bling" tires.