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It?s time for new tires on my 2013 explorer. It currently has 20? rims on it. I?m seriously debating moving to 17? or 18? wheels to save money on tires over the long term. I know basically zero about wheels and tires though.
Any advice on moving to a smaller rim?
General advice on tires for it?
Got a set of rims you need to sell?
There are charts out there that will help you pick the correct height tire on a smaller rim so your speedometer is not affected. I recommend Les Schwab tire centers...I had to buy a new set for my Tundra and they were very helpful...Got some nice Raceline wheels for about 100 per wheel (plus tires of course)
PS...check your door sticker to see what size it had from the factory.
A number of the tire stores and sites have various wheel size and tire size options for your specific application.
I do a lot of research on TireRack.com . They have numerous reviews and track tests. I assumed it was an Explorer Sport 4x4 with a 20" OEM wheel, but you didn't specify. Let's see if this link works:
https://www.tirerack.com/wheels/resu...oModClar=Sport
Just a quick look indicates that there are a bunch of options in an 18.
I've also used DiscountTire.com to find info and I've often bought through them. Discount did have the incorrect OEM sizing for my 2019 Ram, so make sure you double-check the info to make sure.
I have a set of 19s that will fit, but tires are more expensive. I went to 20s when it came time for tires.
You can correct speedometer inaccuracy with Forscan.
255/50r20 is stock and what’s currently on the truck.
It’s the Limited trim, instead on the Sport, but the wheels are the same i think. I’ll redo your search with the correct trim to be sure though.
Thanks for the link and all the advice. I’ll do some searching with all the companies listed.
It's a popular vehicle, so there should be a lot of various wheel and tire options that should have the same outside dimensions as the stock 20" setup. There should be no need to tweak the speedo unless you decide to put a lift on it and go oversize. [Coffee]
That's interesting. TireRack.com shows the OEM tire size for the Limited as 255/50-20 and Discount shows 2 OEM sizes as 245/50-20 and 255/50-20.Quote:
Originally Posted by Little Dutch
You are correct on the sizes. 255/50-20. That was a typo on my part. Editing the original post to correct it.
Not specific to the Explorer in question, but sometimes downsizing rim sizes can depend on the brake rotors too. I doubt stepping down from the 20?s will be a big issue but but sometimes as wheels have gotten bigger it wasn?t done for looks or that cool factor but rather when manufacturers started putting bigger brakes on their vehicles.
My Dodge has 20?s and uses a 275/60/20 which is really an odd duck size and as far as I can tell is only used on Dodge trucks.
I was dreading what the price was going to be for a set but found it really wasn?t too bad. I went with Discount and got a full set of all terrains for about $650 out the door and just carried on with my life.
Great point on going smaller. The Tire Rack calculator for the Limited didn't offer anything smaller than 18", probably for a reason. The new Ram DT has issues with caliper clearance on many of the 18s, even though the Rebel comes with 18s, precisely due to caliper clearance. The wheels require a barrel that gets larger on the inside of the wheel for clearance.Quote:
Originally Posted by ray1970
You might find a Ford forum where folks are discussing the Explorer and see what they're experiences have been with wheel and tire combinations?
275/60-20 was the size that the Discount Tire calculator kept telling me was OEM for the 2019 Ram DT. It is actually 275/55-20 and there are fortunately a ton of options in that size.
As to unusual sizing, the 2016 Mercedes GL 450 that I had was so unusual at the time that there were only like 3 tire options in that size. Having a size that makes the tire almost a 'commodity item' certainly keeps the pricing down.
I’ve seen on the Ford forums where people are buying a second set of 17 or 18 rims just to keep snow tires on. You can’t put chains on the 20’s. So I figure the brake rotors will fit.
I started a thread asking about just downsizing the rims permanently for all-seasons a few days ago but got zero replies. I haven’t found a reasonable set of 18 inch alloy wheels that I can afford yet. I’ll call around to the tire shops to see what they have.
I would put a want ad on Craig's list. You'll have some in no time.
I wouldn't be surprised if someone has 18 inch factory take-offs that they're wanting to sell since they wanted bigger rims.
If you do a little research you can find out if the '13 Explorer was ever offered with 17" or 18" wheels. If it was, then it's likely that 17's/18's can be found that will fit.
It's OT but I hate the "wagon wheel" trend with the bigger and bigger rims. Looks like crap, rides like crap and costs extra $$. [facepalm] And yet, even with 4wd trucks (you know, the kind that would actually benefit from having a big sidewall), the higher trim levels all seem to include 20" wheels because "that's what the customers expect."
My new-to-me 2018 F-150 was an XLT model with 18's, but from what I've seen on the Intertoobz, 17's will fit as well. The good news for me is that it seems like the price difference between 17's and 18's isn't that great, at least not as great as between 18's and 20's.
My new Ram has 20s and I like them very much. I didn't need the off-road sidewall of the Rebel's standard 18s or the low-profile 22. The 20 is just right.
When I look at the options for the 3 sizes of the same Michelin LTX M/S Defender tires I have on the truck, they price out like this at Discount Tire:
18 275/60-18 $211
20 275/55-20 $211
22 305/40-22 $259
My 2012 Hyundai Azera has low-profile tires and that totally turned me off to them. Our crappy roads can be brutal with low-profile tires. That wagon wheel with a rubber band around it look is hideous, especially on a truck, and makes the suspension do all the work.
There's almost no information out there on the forums about downsizing the rims. I honestly thought more people would drop down from the 20" rims and this question would have an easy answer. What I've found is people with the 18" wheels all went to the 20's, nothing with people going the other direction. So the brake clearance question remains unanswered. I've found two sets of OEM 18" rims that should fit it, both from the similar year Explorer in whatever trim package offered the 18", but they are both in Pueblo. I'd like to try one on before I commit, so I haven't done anything.
Checking the various tire store sites, there are even fewer options for the 18" rims than the 20's for this truck! The 18's are still cheaper than the 20's, but...dang.
I don't want to be a quitter, but I'm about ready to put this to bed by getting new rubber for her 20" rims. It was a nice thought, but I think I'm about done spending time on it.
This is pretty much where I'm at. I prefer the look and functionality of more sidewall and less rim. Luckily it's my wife's daily driver and not my mountain driving truck. We picked it up for the third row seating so we can fit the car seats and everyone else in it, and it probably won't see anything rougher than winter driving conditions.Quote:
Originally Posted by Martinjmpr
That version of the Explorer is used by police - what size wheels do they use? Cop cars usually have less expensive wheels/tires because they go through so many of them.
EDIT: Here are some 18" wheels for the Explorer:
https://www.roadreadywheels.com/prod...0-125%7CC%3A65
Says they're for 2013 - 2019.
Here's some 17s
https://www.roadreadywheels.com/prod...0-125%7CC%3A65
My guess is that those 17 and 18" wheels are a standard size and standard offset, which means you could likely go to a junkyard and get a wheel or two just to see if they fit. As long as they clear the brakes they'll probably work fine.
Here's another 17" rim on Amazon for $90.
https://www.amazon.com/Road-Ready-Wh.../dp/B077S574KJ
1 star rating because the factory hub caps don't fit. [facepalm]
18s at Discount Tire: https://www.discounttire.com/fitment...ice-asc&page=0
I had 18" alloys lined up in pueblo for $200 for a set of 4. I couldn't even get a tire shop to comment on whether they'd work though.
I'm assuming you've checked the "usual suspects" of Craigslist, FB marketplace, NextDoor app, etc?
Local used auto parts a/k/a junkyard would be the next logical step. Try searching eBay locally (there is a setting where it will only look for auctions within a certain number of miles from your zip code.)
You'd be surprised how many junkyards advertise on eBay. I found a back wheel for my motorcycle on eBay and when I looked at the location, it was at Steele's Cycle in Englewood. So we completed the auction on-line and then made arrangements to just go pick the wheel up in person rather than have them ship it the 3 miles to my house. Worked like a charm, I walked in, told them I bought a wheel off of eBay and they had it right at the counter waiting for me. I'll bet some auto parts places are like that too.
Also, I saw in the OP you specified alloy rims. Any particular reason to favor alloy? You could likely find a set of basic steel rims for not too much $$. Personally I prefer steel to alloy if I have a choice.
I would be willing to place a bet that 18" explorer or taurus wheels will fit just fine. The largest brakes on your year explorer would be on the police interceptor, and those ran 18" wheels.
If you go with 18"s, and go with mfr size specs, you'll need to calibrate your speedo/odo. That's assuming you were originally equipped with 255/50r20 , and go to original 245/60r18.
If you go to 255/60r18, the tire dimensions are basically the same, except for the sidewall height. The 18's will have 1" higher sidewall. Width, diameter, circumference/revs per mile are the same.
If you haven't looked it up yet, the wheel specs for the 20" is 20x8.5, 5 on 4.5, 2.5" hub bore, 44mm offset; 18" is 18x8, 5 on 4.5, 2.5 hub bore, 44mm offset.
I'm not sure what effect the 1/2" narrower wheel will have on handling, if any. Someone with more knowledge about that will have to chime in about that.
But you've probably already researched all this yourself. I just had a few minutes to kill at my computer at work... [Beer]
You can change the speedo calibration for revolutions per mile using a laptop running Forscan (free) and a OBDII adapter.Quote:
Originally Posted by crays
I think we covered that already.
Yeah. I thought I previously read most of the thread, but I went back through and realized most of my post was already covered.
Sent from somewhere...