Best tires for 2017 Expedition EL

[CatsCourage]

Hello Everyone, we just purchased a 2017 Expedition EL that needs new tires. The existing tires are 275/55R20. Through researching replacement tires I see that my Expy EL can take the existing size tires (of course) or 285/45R22. I've looked through the threads on this forum regarding tires and it seems that the 285s get better traction? We live in Northern Illinois where lately we get icy slippery roads a lot, and some snow. I prefer traction and a stiffer ride over the soft comfort ride.
Any information and advice is welcome! What brands are reliable? Since we just bought the Expy, we don't want to go crazy on tires cost-wise but do want reliability and traction.
Can you use the same rims for both those sizes?
Thanks!

 

[BigOleFordFan]

Well, based on quite a few of the "new tire" threads on here, the Michelin Defenders seem to a top choice, which I agree with and will be putting on my Expy as soon as the current GY's wear out, probably in the spring...

BFG's also seem to be popular, but those tend to appeal more to the folks that sometimes go offroad here & there. I personally don't care for the way they look, but that's just me.

I would strongly advise against any of the "2nd tier" or "off-name" brands like Kooks, Cooper, Continental, Yoku etc, as they seem to have much higher (premature) failures, especially the sidewalls & tire beads. I know alot of people who've had very bad experiences when trying to get warranty replacements or repairs on them too.

I would also strongly advise NOT going from 55's to 45's, which reduces your sidewall height but increases the ride & bump harshness (not to be confused with "stiffness").

In fact, I will be going the other way, from 55's up to 65's, and probably down from 20" to 18"'s, to get taller sidewalls without having to add any lift to maintain the right fender clearances....

And yes, going from 275 to 285 will probably give you more traction, but with slightly lower MPG due to the increased surface area that is contacting the road. I have not made a decision on this change yet, but am considering it also..

Finally, NO, you can NOT put 22" tires on 20" rims (or vice versa), even if the other 2 measurements stay the same...so that would add to the cost of the changeover too

 

[CatsCourage]

Thanks so much BigOleFordFan! Your post was very informative and helpful. I appreciate your explanation of all the particular number meanings and how they relate to each other. I just want the best traction reliability and handling possible. As I learned in my 2005 Ford Excursion, even with such a big rig, when you are on slippery pavement you still slide. Off to shop tires...
Thanks again!

 

[BigOleFordFan]

Good luck with da shoppin

Also, you can have a lookie here:

Tire Size Calculator

The best tire size calculator. Use our tire size calculator to find tire size specs and suggested tire sizes. Then check prices for all available tire sizes.

tiresize.com

you can enter the sizes of your old/current and the proposed new ones & get some idea of how the change will effect the physical parts once completed, and also check the speedometer thing in the lower right corner to see the differences on that too

 

[CatsCourage]

Thanks, BOFF! The link is very helpful and I like that it gives you a visual of the tire sizes. I do like the beefier looking tires. I don't want to change out the rims as they are really nice and in great shape. My husband will be replacing the brakes as well. He thinks they have a little wear left on them, but at 30% life remaining, that makes me a bit nervous.

 

[GlennSullivan]

Cat, congratulations on your purchase and good luck with your new vehicle. I have been running the Michelin Defender LTX MS/2 for quite a while on both our 2017 and 2011 Expy limited in the same 275/55/20 size. I assume your new ride is 4x4 as are both of ours and even though the tread does not look super aggressive, both the winter and extreme wet weather performance is impressive, with very low dry road noise.

 

[bloodhound]

Cat, congratulations on your purchase and good luck with your new vehicle. I have been running the Michelin Defender LTX MS/2 for quite a while on both our 2017 and 2011 Expy limited in the same 275/55/20 size. I assume your new ride is 4x4 as are both of ours and even though the tread does not look super aggressive, both the winter and extreme wet weather performance is impressive, with very low dry road noise.

Same here.

 

[CatsCourage]

Thanks Glenn and BOFF. And thanks to you Bloodhound. I am excited to finally get the Expedition today. All of your advice on tires makes total sense and is quite helpful. I will be looking at the Michelin Defender tires and hopefully can find some for a decent price.
Again, thanks to all!

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

Michelin Defenders are all I'll buy for my SUVs now. Great on dry/wet and I get 70k miles out of every set. Just so-so in the snow, but it doesn't snow much here anymore. The prices of them are ridiculous though. $305/ea at Sam's Club for the 20" and the rebate on a set of 4 has dropped to $70. I got an entire set at Costco for $789.36 OTD in January 2021. Now they're ~$1,215 OTD. That's a 54% increase since then.

 

[GlennSullivan]

Tire Rack has the Michelin Defenders for $1160 shipped. You then get $70 rebate. That is $272 each plus mount and balance, which through tire rack installers runs about $40 /$160 plus valves, which should be replaced and TPS if you need them.

If you can find the tires at a local dealer for same or less, buy local. I find if local dealer sells you the tires M&B is usually $25/$100.

 

[GlennSullivan]

BTW after all the great advice, you owe us some pictures!!!

 

[BigOleFordFan]

Tire Rack has the Michelin Defenders for $1160 shipped. You then get $70 rebate. That is $272 each plus mount and balance, which through tire rack installers runs about $40 /$160 plus valves, which should be replaced and TPS if you need them.

If you can find the tires at a local dealer for same or less, buy local. I find if local dealer sells you the tires M&B is usually $25/$100.

Well, when I priced them in 275/65/18 a few months ago at a local tire shop, they were ~$1158, m&b + lifetime rotate & balance included, plus tax of course. Then the rebate would knock off $70, for a total of ~$1088....

And if I wanted to sign up for the shop's credit card, I could get another $70 off, but I carry around so much plastik already, so I may do that anyways just to get the extra rebate, then payoff & cancel the card

However, I'm sure they've probably went up lately, just like EVERY FRIGGIN THING ELSE on the planet..

 

[chuck s]

I'm very happy with my "2nd tier off-name" Continental TerrainContact A/T tires on my 2017 XLT that I put on last year.

Local dealers? Discount Tire owns Tire Rack so anything you can get from Tire Rack is available locally at the Tire Rack price. (You may have to ask for it.) There are a half dozen Discount Tire shops practically in my Zipcode so they're very convenient.

-- Chuck

 

[Wahoogator]

I am on my second set of Hankook DynaPro's, 2016 Expedition Limited XL 4X4. They were OEM and preform excellent for on and off road, I own a farm. I also expect my third set will be @ 100K miles...!

 

[ZigZagFred]

We are big fans of Michelin Defenders. We've had them on five different vehicles. Our 2006 Expy ended up with two sets because the first set was ten years old and still had good tread left. Most manufacturers recommend replacement at six years, but Michelinn recommends TEN. Something to think about. Four years can be a long time.

 

[inmanlanier]

With all due respect - going wider DOES give better traction in dry conditions, however in rain, snow and ice you want more narrow tires. Wider tires spread out the load over a wider contact patch, reducing the unit normal force, enabling a higher tendency to slip in winter snow/ice and rain.

With regard tires, Continental is a world recognized Tier one tire manufacturer. By Yoku - did you mean Yokohama? Also an outstanding tire manufacturer.

I had Firestone (Bridgestone ownership - another excellent brand) LE Destination IIs on the car before - my first replacement tires. Excellent dry and wet handling. Limited noise. They went over 50,000 miles. Recently they were replaced with the newer LE Destination IIIs. I could not tell the difference. Being an avid car enthusiast (a lot of racing experience) I focus on handling, in particular wet traction (being in Florida with lotsa rain and now grandchildren). The LEs have been excellent.

 

[hyattdj]

Hello Everyone, we just purchased a 2017 Expedition EL that needs new tires. The existing tires are 275/55R20. Through researching replacement tires I see that my Expy EL can take the existing size tires (of course) or 285/45R22. I've looked through the threads on this forum regarding tires and it seems that the 285s get better traction? We live in Northern Illinois where lately we get icy slippery roads a lot, and some snow. I prefer traction and a stiffer ride over the soft comfort ride.
Any information and advice is welcome! What brands are reliable? Since we just bought the Expy, we don't want to go crazy on tires cost-wise but do want reliability and traction.
Can you use the same rims for both those sizes?
Thanks!

What is more important is WHAT DO YOU DO, what is the weather where you live.
In St Louis, it is most important to have wet weather tires, with snow performance a distance second. I don't do any 4wheeling, so off road tires is not high on the priority. Do not rely on the tire store salesman for recommendations. Read the reviews online for the tires you want. If you are not towing and nowhere near big mountains. Both tires should perform well. Again, go with name brand tires that don't have long tread life. Would you rather buy a new truck from an accident, or buy a new set of tires. I like to drive 90mph, so I buy tires rated 120.

 

[Swede252]

Union Made Coopers for me. Tire Rack has great warrantee.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Cooper&tireModel=Discoverer+Road%2BTrail+AT&partnum=755HR0DRTATXL&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Ford&autoYear=2017&autoModel=Expedition%20EL%204WD&autoModClar=

 

[Utah Driver]

I am on my second set of Hankook DynaPro's, 2016 Expedition Limited XL 4X4. They were OEM and preform excellent for on and off road, I own a farm. I also expect my third set will be @ 100K miles...!

Second that. On my second set as well. Great in the snow and dirt. I've had them off road in Moab. Solid tire. Some forum members complain about ice performance but I suspect they run too much air pressure and have bad alignments. I run at 38 psi on the 20" version. Work great on ice for me.

 

[CatsCourage]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate all your helpful comments and advice. I have researched online, but I find that the practical and experiential advice is much better here (and I don't have to worry about talking to non-human AI).
hyattdj - I am in Northern Illinois where icy roads have become more common than snow :<( I am a pretty careful, safe driver -mainly driving around the area, but the roads traveled are rarely cleared well. I've driven my fave truck in the world - 2005 Excursion - and Chevy Subs for many years, so I am familiar with the handling, though this is my first Ford Expedition. I prefer the rougher or stiffer ride of a truck, not the fluffy smooth ride of some of the suvs like our Traverse. And road noise does not bother me as long as I can hear my music :<)
I prefer beefier looking tires, but safety comes first.
Glenn, fair enough, I will get some pictures to you a.s.a.p.
Thanks everyone!