Time for new tires, thinking maybe wheels to

[BigOleFordFan]

BigOleFordFam mentioned durability problems by going smaller - wrong. Bigger tire sidewall transfers less impact to suspension components. I was a mfg engineer on F150 for years. Around 2006 we were adding 20", or maybe 22" wheels to the lineup, and I took part in dozens of meetings reviewing potential changes that would need to be made to the suspension and steering systems to deal with the higher impact forces. You'd be amazed how much that smaller sidewall beats up the suspension.

A) I was merely commenting on the fact that Expy's come with 20-22" rims for a reason, which you are (correctly) implying was a design/engineering decision, which apparently was adopted, based on the number of vehicles that come out of the factory with them.....

I never suggested that they are/would or would not be ideal, which is something each person has to decide for themselves based on their own observations, preferences, expectations, and driving conditions......

B) I agree that bigger SIDEWALLS can offer better ride quality & less wear & tear on the suspension (to a certain point), but again this is a decision to be made by the owner.

C) However, I personally think that any vehicle the size of an Expy looks silly with 18" rims, or 17's for that matter, regardless of sidewall height (unless you're wanting the "pimp wagon/boi toy" look) but then again, my 011 EL is a good bit heavier & larger overall than more recent models, so that's why I feel this way...

Also, this is the exact reason why my next set of new tires this fall will be 275/65-20's instead of the stock 275/55-20's, but I have the clearance to do so without introducing any turn/rub issues

 

[Left Coast Geek]

It came with 22" rims for a reason...it's a big, heavy vehicle that needs fairly large tires & rims to support it

they came with 17", 18", 20", and 22" wheels. The 22" wheels require /45 series tires which don't belong on ANY truck. I swapped the 22's on my Stealth for a set of 18's off an F150, same offset and everything. The 18" size is a /65 profile tire, which is much better for a truck. I almost wish I'd gone 17", with /70 proper LT tires but I can get LT tires in 275/65R18 too, and in fact will be doing exactly that when the OE tires wear down more.

/45 tires are for pimpmobiles and track cars.

 

[Left Coast Geek]

Stealth with its 22's (286/45R22)


same Stealth with 18's and 275/65R18's (f150 'take-offs')

 

[BigOleFordFan]

Stealth with its 22's (286/45R22)
View attachment 81811

same Stealth with 18's and 275/65R18's (f150 'take-offs')
View attachment 81812

I vote for the 2nd one, but those 18's would look silly on my Expy (I did a test fit with 18's & 22's at my local shop & was laughing the whole time), which is why I'm sticking with the OEM 20's and moving up to 65's from 55's

 

[Left Coast Geek]

don't forget to get a spare with the same OD as your tires. The stock 22's and 18s are the exact same OD, the 20 stock size is within a 0.1" or something, but a 275/65R20 would be a fair bit bigger. In fact, 275/65R20 is 2.2" bigger than 275/55R20 per https://tiresize.com/comparison/

 

[ViperVette]

My ‘21 came with the FX4 package which includes 18” rims. Given the it’s designed for more off road use, MORE sidewall is desired to protect the rims and help smooth the ride.
I’m not a fan of the 22’s or even bigger. The low profile tire on a big truck with massive rims looks ‘pimped out’ IMHO but that is just my two cent opinion.
A big truck needs a decent amount of sidewall. A sports car is entirely different.
Regardless, you should buy what YOU like, not what others tell or try to sell you. It’s your truck!

 

[Left Coast Geek]

don't forget to get a spare with the same OD as your tires. The stock 22's and 18s are the exact same OD, the 20 stock size is within a 0.1" or something, but a 275/65R20 would be a fair bit bigger. In fact, 275/65R20 is 2.2" bigger than 275/55R20 per https://tiresize.com/comparison/

could someone with a 20" Expedition, that runs the 275/55R20's, check and see what size their spare is? IMHO, you should drop your spare and check its inflation about once a year, both to make sure the hoist mechanism is functional, and to ensure your spare has sufficient air to be usable.

 

[AJ82]

could someone with a 20" Expedition, that runs the 275/55R20's, check and see what size their spare is? IMHO, you should drop your spare and check its inflation about once a year, both to make sure the hoist mechanism is functional, and to ensure your spare has sufficient air to be usable.

The spare tire on my 2022 with the 20" rims (275/55R20 tires) is 265/70R17

 

[BigOleFordFan]

The spare tire on my 2022 with the 20" rims (275/55R20 tires) is 265/70R17

same here, but then again, since the tires that were on my Expy were nearly shot when I bought it, I negotiated for 5x brand new 275/55/R20 tires as part of the deal, and it came with that size spare too....

And my hoist is in good shape, as I had it checked on the last rotate/balance job in May

 

[Left Coast Geek]

ok, good to know, a 20" Expy comes with 20" spare. my 22" Stealth came with a 18" spare as did several others I looked at (yes, I crawled under them and checked).

 

[Moeman]

Here are the 275/60-20's we finally ended up with:


and 33x12-18 (tried out my F150 wheels to size them up. looks tough, but a little too Mad Max for the wife)

 

[maxgibson]

Did u have to lift it for these?

 

[Left Coast Geek]

and 33x12-18 (tried out my F150 wheels to size them up. looks tough, but a little too Mad Max for the wife)
View attachment 81830

oooh, I like! so 33x12x18's fit without any lift or suspension mods? Hmmmmm.

 

[Moeman]

oooh, I like! so 33x12x18's fit without any lift or suspension mods? Hmmmmm.

Right, no lift. The 275/60-20's clear with maybe an inch to spare at most, so with the +18 offset I would be reluctant to go any bigger. I didn't turn the steering wheel when I put my 18's on it, so can't say for sure that they wouldn't rub. But, the tires are Toyo R/T's and they actually only measure about 32" (?). The 275/60's are a hair larger in diameter. So math says they should be ok. If you go this route it will depend on what the true diameter of the tire is.

 

[Moeman]

I did take a picture with a jack under the front simulating a ~1.5" lift when I was going through this exercise. Looks pretty good

 

[kbot]

I have an 18 Limited with 20' wheels. A friend of mine bought a 22 Exp King Ranch with 22" wheels. He has committed that my 18 rides better than his. So, he found some 20" factory wheels at a salvage yard and replaced them. Problem solved.

 

[bshowalter]

Stealth with its 22's (286/45R22)
View attachment 81811

same Stealth with 18's and 275/65R18's (f150 'take-offs')
View attachment 81812

This looks great, I'm thinking of doing the same thing. Can you share the part number of the 18" wheel? Did you have to cut the ends off the rear axles to get them to fit?

 

[Left Coast Geek]

I got my 18's from takeofftires.com. these guys resell 'dealer takeoffs' which come from new car dealers when someone buys a SUV or truck and wants different custom wheels on it at initial delivery. The particular ones I have came off a recent year F150 FX4 with the 'appearance package', complete with the new OE tires. I didn't even have to swap the TPMS, just use a ford tpms sync tool on all 4.

recent generation (2002+) F150 wheels are a direct fit on the 4th gen Expedition *except* the 4G Expedition rear axle stubs stick out about 1/2" too much for the stock caps to fit over them. solution is to cut off about 1/2" from the axle end.

note, Bronco, Ranger, and SuperDuty wheels are NOT the right offset or size.

 

[Tonka]

I got the Cooper Discoverer Road & trail AT tires. I love them the stick great even in rain I feel confident. They look aggressive and you will get a few rocks in them. You may feel them a little while driving. They are 18 inch factory wheel. I’ve been real happy with this tire though.