New Expedition Tires

[KeithInSpace]

Just been blah-blah-ing about getting new tires for my Expedition. Haven't towed anything yet, obviously, but at least they LOOK great. At least I think so.

These tires are extremely aggressive, but they don't 'hum' like off-road tires. They give off a little more noise than regular tires, but the trade off for traction is amazing. I took these in the 1" dusting we got last night and they are staggering in the amount of traction they have. Just amazing.

They feel good down the road, too. Very nice center feel and compared to my very worn Michelin's I just took off, the turn-in is so perfect it took a bit of getting used to since it is soft, but not imprecise at all...direct, but not overly sharp. Very nice.

The rims are 20" (vs. stock 17") and while the tire section is 275, only slightly more than the stock 265, I measure the tread touching the ground to be nearly 3 INCHES wider than the tires I took off. This since these tires are much more 'square' and the 55 profile (vs. stock 70 profile) allows much less bulge in the middle of the tire. This is probably where the better steering feel is coming from.

Will report on towing once I can fit the trailer down the driveway...have 2 foot tall sheer walls on both sides now.

My 6 year-old daughter reported upon seeing the truck, "Oh my, Daddy, that looks FABULOUS!"

I agree.

 

[beenthere]

Anytime I put on new tires, the car/truck/SUV always feels like it rides better.
Maybe it is because my billfold is lighter...??

The hub caps are pretty fancy. The tires look like tires.

 

[KeithT]

Your daughter is right!

 

[Diamondpilot]

Now you just need to black out the whole truck. They called that "MURDERED" around herrrrr!


Chris

 

[KeithInSpace]

Murdered out! Ya!

That's actually why I got the black rims initially...not a speck of chrome on the thing.

I'm thinking of a black brush guard in the front and a black bumper guard in the back. If I go really crazy, I can get headlight assemblies that have the inside blacked out instead of shiny. Dunno. I'm going to have some fun with it.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Guy I boat with has a 07 Tundra, new body style, all black with 20" black wheels. Not a spec of chrome. Bumpers and everything is black. Its 100% Murdered!

Chris

 

[KeithInSpace]

AN UPDATE:

Tows GREAT. Tires are Load Rated higher (stiffer sidewalls) and are good up to 50 PSI. First setting of 34 PSI didn't feel good with a trailer (took my tractor in for service). Bumped up to 40 PSI and felt better.

Recently took a ~500 mile trip to and from Natural Bridge, Virginia with Travel Trailer. Bumped pressure up to 42 PSI and it feels really nice. Very good control and a HUGE difference in the amount of trailer sway. I was considering a Hensley/ProPride setup since sideways motion when passing tractor trailers was sapping my confidence, but money well spent on a very nice set of tires as all but eliminated the need.

As a bonus, these are ABSOLUTELY AMAZING in the dirt. I've gone across some fields I shouldn't have in the past and have gotten stuck more than once, but compared to any and all other tires I've owned (including BFG A/T) these are off-the-hook angry on dirt and mud. Clear on one turn and release dirt horizontally. Went across a 9" deep wet red-clay field with nothing to show for it in the wheel wells...it all released directly behind me. Amazing.

The downside: I've taken a ~15% hit in fuel economy. Ouch. But when you're talking 15 MPG to 13 MPG around town, I guess it isn't the end of the world. When pulling ~5,000# travel trailer I'm from 11 MPG to just below 10 MPG

 

[Dargo]

My next door neighbor is owns a large wheel and tire shop in my town. He loves those sort of wheels. After a bad winter like we just had, pot holes absolutely destroy those wheels and tires. He loves to sell them twice. Based on living next to him for the last 20 years, I've never ever considered tall wheels. I guess it you were going to run them on the track or where you live they don't let the streets get pot holes like we do it might be an option. And, as you probably guessed, our city couldn't care less about your destroyed wheel and tire due to a pot hole. If enough people complain about the same hole, they'll send a pickup truck out with some 'cold mix' and shovel a few shovels full in the hole and leave. They don't even bother to drive over the mix to pack it in and see if they need to add more. Nice looking, but a no-no around where I live.