• Sign Up! To view all forums and unlock additional cool features

    Welcome to the #1 Explorer ST Forum and Explorer ST community dedicated to Explorer ST owners and enthusiasts. Register for an account, it's free and it's easy, so don't hesitate to join the Explorer ST Forum today!


Newbie winter tire & wheel combination question

Buck Nutz

New Member
Messages
20
Reactions
4
Points
2
Location
Willoughby, Ohio
Vehicle
2021 Ford Explorer ST
#1
Hey all.... I have a stock w/ no mods 21 ST w/ street pack and looking for new wheel/winter tire combo to shelf the stock 21" rims and Pirelli 275/45 R21 for the winter
They were ok in Northern Ohio winter for 1st year, but thinking about something new.
A friend recommended Tire Rack.com & found their website as a great resource for picking the right combo

Any issues using the 20" Yokohama Iceguard 265/50 R20 w/ Platinum Atonement 20" x 8.5 Offset +40mm I may decide down the road to go to the 20" summer tires when the Pirelli's need to be replaced as the 21's are hard to find & expensive.

I am new to all this & would appreciate any feedback before I pull the trigger on the deal

Cheers!
 

I Bleed Ford Blue

Active Member
U.S. Navy Veteran
Messages
619
Reactions
404
Points
182
Location
Ohio
Vehicle
23 Rapid Red Explorer ST
#2
I'm on the west side and I run the factory 20's for winter. They are a michelin A/S tire and are good enough for Cleveland winters, at least for a west sider. With you being near the snow belt, they might not be good enough for you.
 

OP
B

Buck Nutz

New Member
Messages
20
Reactions
4
Points
2
Location
Willoughby, Ohio
Vehicle
2021 Ford Explorer ST
Thread Starter #3
Ah, nice! I am in Lake County & we got hammered at times last year. I just throw it in "slippery" mode and car did better than expected. I could not get into my shop on on occasion, had close to 20" on the ground and I needed a Western to plow my way in. We have experience, I just can't see for shit at night! I will probably go to 20" summer tires when Pirelli's crap the bed. The car really does have a awesome ride
 

Messages
37
Reactions
36
Points
12
Location
Cleveland, Ohio
Vehicle
2022 Explorer ST
#5
East sider here. Nervous with the 21” Pirelli tread pattern, doesn‘t look grippy for snow at all. Did I read that Ford made changes on 6th gen that makes it more RWD dominant? Would think that makes things worse in the snow, so now I’m wondering - does the car go into AWD automatically when it notices bad roads?
 

OP
B

Buck Nutz

New Member
Messages
20
Reactions
4
Points
2
Location
Willoughby, Ohio
Vehicle
2021 Ford Explorer ST
Thread Starter #6
My Pirelli did ok last winter in NE Ohio, but car only had couple thousand miles - but just ordered new wheel / snow tires from Tire Rack
When the highways last winter were very slushy, I would dial up slippery mode and worked well. I was not going to take the chance this year
 

Messages
296
Reactions
217
Points
37
Location
Utah
Vehicle
2022 Ford Explorer Platinum
#7
East sider here. Nervous with the 21” Pirelli tread pattern, doesn‘t look grippy for snow at all. Did I read that Ford made changes on 6th gen that makes it more RWD dominant? Would think that makes things worse in the snow, so now I’m wondering - does the car go into AWD automatically when it notices bad roads?
This may shed some light on things:
https://www.conwayfordinc.com/blogs... beyond that,to improve traction and handling.
 

TMac

1000 Post Club
Messages
1,691
Reactions
1,449
Points
262
Location
Knoxville, TN
#8
If you're really concerned about winter driving, it's simple. Buy some good snow tires. They make more difference than anything else you can do. Depending on your budget, ideally pick up a set of cheap wheels and mount the snows on them to save your good (summer) wheels and tires. Selecting the right mode will also help as it limits throttle response and increases the AWD duty cycle.
 

gwlry

New Member
Messages
1
Reactions
0
Points
1
Location
New Brunswick
Vehicle
2023 Ford Explorer ST
#10
I just ordered a 2023 Explorer ST.
Was originally planning on ordering it with the standard 20", purely due to prices of 20" tires being much more affordable than 21", but the 2023 version is coming with standard 21" wheels.

If I want to put 20" winter wheels and tires on, has anyone ran into any issues with that? What size tire would I order? (sorry.. not well versed in any of this..) Thank you in advance!
 

Cdubya

1000 Post Club
Messages
1,443
Reactions
699
Points
262
Location
NE Ohio
Vehicle
2020 Explorer ST
#11
If I want to put 20" winter wheels and tires on, has anyone ran into any issues with that? What size tire would I order? (sorry.. not well versed in any of this..) Thank you in advance!
There's no problem at all with 20" wheels... all the way down to 18", as long as the specs are OK. Stock 20" rims have 255/55R20

I have 18" rims for my winter set and have 255/65R18
 

Messages
1
Reactions
0
Points
1
Location
Washington
Vehicle
2021 ford explorer st
#12
What is the offset of your 18's? I want to do something similar but concerned about clearing calipers.
 

Messages
399
Reactions
233
Points
37
Location
Ontario, Canada
#13
What is the offset of your 18's? I want to do something similar but concerned about clearing calipers.
My aluminum 18" Explorer rims have a 37.5 offset, if that helps.
 

Messages
70
Reactions
47
Points
17
Location
Lancaster, NY, USA
Vehicle
2021 Explorer Platinum
#14
On my 2021 Platinum I run
Summer - Pirelli 265/65R18 Scorpion AS Plus3 tires on 18x8 Enkie XM-6 wheels with +35mm offset
Winter - Bridgestone P265/65R18 BlizzakDM-V2 18x8 AE900 wheels with +35mm offset
All were purchased from TireRack
 

Messages
108
Reactions
53
Points
27
Location
Buffalo, NY, USA
#15

Tony Z

New Member
Messages
7
Reactions
0
Points
1
Location
Michigan
Vehicle
2022 Ford Explorer ST
#16
East sider here. Nervous with the 21” Pirelli tread pattern, doesn‘t look grippy for snow at all. Did I read that Ford made changes on 6th gen that makes it more RWD dominant? Would think that makes things worse in the snow, so now I’m wondering - does the car go into AWD automatically when it notices bad roads?
The AWD is rear dominant, but front drive balance changes with any slippage. Also, there is a setting for slippery/icey roads.
My 2022 ST has worked rather well thus far, this winter, but I have a Tahoe work truck if the snow gets too deep.
Cheers,
Tony
 

Tony Z

New Member
Messages
7
Reactions
0
Points
1
Location
Michigan
Vehicle
2022 Ford Explorer ST
#17
There's no problem at all with 20" wheels... all the way down to 18", as long as the specs are OK. Stock 20" rims have 255/55R20

I have 18" rims for my winter set and have 255/65R18
The Police Interceptors run 255/60R18s, working to find the balance between high speed stability and being able to jump curbs.
Cheers,
Tony
 

Cdubya

1000 Post Club
Messages
1,443
Reactions
699
Points
262
Location
NE Ohio
Vehicle
2020 Explorer ST
#18
I have 255/65/18 with Michelin X-Ice xi2 which are only 1.3% off from the stock 21s. They have been great and have already saved me from one near collision during Winter storm Elliott last month.
 



Top