# Tire Replacement For Expedition Advice Needed



## Coast_Guard_Family (Jul 13, 2004)

I need your help! I have a 2001 Expedition with the 5.4 V8 4X4. I pull a 25RSS.

OK here's the deal...

I need a new set of tires, the car has the stock 265/70/17's on it. I would like to get a set that would help pull a little better and provide a little more stability. I was thinking of getting something like 275/65/17 (a little wider and a little shorter for stability). I can't afford to replace the car so that's not an option, but I know you guys are the pro's soooo what's your advice?

Thanks in advance,
Coast Guard Family


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## kjp1969 (Apr 25, 2004)

A shorter tire will lower your final drive as if you had changed the axle ratio, but may look a little goofy if you overdo it. It will also cause your speedo to read faster than it should.

I'm not sure than a wider tire by itself will help stability, because you're presumably going to stuff it onto the same size rim, which will just cantiliever the sidewalls in further- what you want to do is reduce sidewall flex, and that will do the opposite. Some on the board recommend LT vs. P tires, which supposedly have a stiffer sidewall. It makes sense to me though I haven't tried it.

www.tirerack.com has good customer service, sometimes. If you call them and describe your situation they can probably offer suggestions with a little more expertise than I can. To help others make suggestions, tell us what problem you're most trying to fix- power, stability, etc. and what you axle ratio is.

Kevin P.


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## kjp1969 (Apr 25, 2004)

P.S. Dealerships are *always* swapping stock rims and tires for chromies that the kids are so fond of, and usually have a glut of stock alloys with new tires just sitting around in the back yard. A friend of mine picked up a set for his Tahoe for $400 or $600 (can't remember)- less than a good set of new tires alone. I've been thinkin of picking up a set next time I need tires, and keeping the spare rims for "experimental" tires, whether taller, shorter, snow of offroad. It would be pretty sweet to have a set of stout, slightly shorter LT tires for towing, and a set of cushy/quiet P tires for the other 340 days per year.

Kevin P.


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

I put LT's on our yukon and it made a huge difference in lateral stability, no more squishy feeling in the rear. Tirerack.com has all the tire specs online. You might not find your exact tire size in an LT but if you check the overall diameter of another size, in my case a 265/70/r16 was the same overall diameter as a 245/75/r16. The middle number is the ratio of the diameter to the sidewall height. So a 245/75's sidewall height is 75% of 245mm, the 265/70's sidewall is 70% of 265 and both are equal in sidewall height







. There were no 265's available in an LT but tons of 245's.

Mike


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## Not Yet (Dec 13, 2004)

Be careful going to a wider tire if your rim is narrow. The possibility of cutting into the sidewall increases if you put a wide tire on a narrow rim. .5 inch would not matter but much more than that is risky under a heavy load.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
this link has a nice graphic for comparing tire size.

Jared


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## GlenninTexas (Aug 11, 2004)

Try this link to compare different tire sizes. 
action=submit" target="_blank">http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculato...p?action=submit</a>

You can try different combination to get where you want to get. Try to keep the diameter close to avoid the odometer and spedometer from being too far out of whack, unless you can get your chip reprogrammed for the new tire size. Remember that increasing the tire diameter also effectively raises your final gear ratio (lower numbers), so too much can really effect your TV performance.

A wider tire with a shorter sidewall will improve your towing capacity, but a wider tire alone doesn't really do that much as Kevin pointed out without increasing the wheel width. Look at D or E rated tires. LT's are usually all in this range.

Regards, Glenn


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## Reverie (Aug 9, 2004)

I can tell you that your vehicle is designed to accept the size and type of tire it originally had installed. When you make changes to any aspect of the tire it effects alignment, handling, brake performance, tire wear and equipment durability. If you change any aspect of the steering geometry you must compensate for that change in other components. All that being said, few people bother to make the changes.

The best change I made was going to an LT with sufficient sidewall rating to support the additional weight. It made a bunch of difference in the stability I felt when towing over the stock tires. The tires I bought were Michelin LTX's and they were the recommended size for the vehicle. I put a set of these on my old '96 Explorer and they went 108K and still were useable. That was right, the tires went 108,000 miles. I rotated them every other oil change and kept the pressure at 32 psi. I also had it aligned every other year. Pretty cool. I certainly didn't baby them because I take my trucks places up in the mountains that would make a Goat hesitant.







My Tundra has the same tire on it but they only have 25K on them so far.

Reverie


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

Also, be sure and get a tire that will handle the weight for whatever your vehicle is rated at. Check the door panel. Some door panel stickers have a note right on them that the various weight ratings are predicated on having specific tires.


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## RICK R (Mar 15, 2005)

action We have a 2001 Expedition- Eddie Bauer Edition w/5.4, our TT is a 21rs.
I now have 46k on the vehicle and the tires will need to be replaced this summer.
I also work at a GM dealership as a GM Parts Specialist for 12+ years. Tires are funny in a way the most sales are made by the customers personal preference. 
I have always kept the OEM tire size and even brand and model. In keeping with this motto i have been able to get 50k-56k on a set of tires. Keeping up with maintainance and rotate every 6k, keep psi at 35#.
The Expedition came equipped with Goodyear Wrangler RT/S in 26570R17







they have been very good tires for Colorado and winter adventures our family takes. The Expedition has possibly one of the highest stock center of gravity and drives very differently from other SUV's. Having the TT or just having some weight in the veh improves the handling greatly. 
action


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

RICK R,

I admit I pay more attention to the tires on my TV than I do on my little S10 I drive back and forth to work.

I used to have a commute of 72 miles (for four years) and 90 miles for 3 years. I traded in my little Sonoma p/u with 99K miles on it (and three years old) and had the original tires still on it. I don't ever remember rotating them. I traded that Sonoma for a Chevy S10 which I drove (and am still driving). I replaced those origianl tires at 96K and now have 60K on the second set. Still look good with tread. 99.99% of my miles are highway miles.

When I replaced the S-10s I wanted the original tire (Uniroyal). They have worked out great.

Lucky? May be. Blessed? Possibly.

Mark


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## Coast_Guard_Family (Jul 13, 2004)

Thanks for all the info... I really like the sound of putting a set of LT tires on, but I'm worried the ride will be much stiffer. It's my wife's car and I would hate for her to not like the ride. So maybe I'll stick with the stock tires, they have 60K on them and seem to be ok. If you know how a set of LT's compare (ride) to the stock Goodyear AT/S please let me know.

Thanks to everyone who replied,
Casey


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## jzero (Mar 24, 2005)

Coast_Guard_Family said:


> Thanks for all the info... I really like the sound of putting a set of LT tires on, but I'm worried the ride will be much stiffer. It's my wife's car and I would hate for her to not like the ride. So maybe I'll stick with the stock tires, they have 60K on them and seem to be ok. If you know how a set of LT's compare (ride) to the stock Goodyear AT/S please let me know.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who replied,
> Casey
> [snapback]30110[/snapback]​


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## jzero (Mar 24, 2005)

That was strange... got lost in the forum. 
Anyhow what I was going to tell you is that I own a 98 Expedition as well as a 2002 F-150, both with the same tire/rim configuration. Don't forget that you still have the original factory tire as a spare, that you've probally never used. Put your best "used" tire on the spare rim, then you're only looking to buy three new tires.

If you want to start new, I've had great results with the Bridgestone dueler "Revo", a P-metric tire. I did however need to install an airlift system in the rear coils, but works great with a P-metric tire. Also, I am getting ready to replace tires on the F-150, I am considering the Goodyear "Fortera" with "silent armor". This is about the most rigid P-metric tire on the market, Twice as rigid as the Michelin LTX MS. Goodyear is running a promotion right now where you can use them for 30 days... If you don't like them, return them for a full refund. No questions asked. I'll try it for free.

By the way, you can easily run 38-42 psi on those "monsters". Check with your local tire expert.


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## jallen58 (Oct 27, 2003)

I just put TOYO Open Country 265/75/16 load range E max load [email protected] psi on my 1500hd. Toyo was voted number one tire the last six years. these ride very soft for a E rated tire P rated tires do not belong on a truck of any kind the "P" stands for passenger car so why do the put them on trucks from the factory? For towing I wont use any thing but "E" rated tires i had Michelin ltx on my suburban and they rode much stiffer. Also the Toyo's are about $200.00 Less than Michelin's
(JMHO)

Jim


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## jzero (Mar 24, 2005)

Tires have come a long way in the last 10 years...computer designs, better materials etc... a 1/2 ton vehicle has limited abilities (expeditions, tahos, trucks). If you have a 1ton, hauling a 14000 lb. trailer that's one thing, but a 5500-6500lb. travel trailer with proper set up and weight distrubution, that's another. I've managed 55,000 mi. on P-metric tires (15,000 towing). The bonus is the unloaded drivability and performance.


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