That sounds like a pretty good idea, but does that mean you will be driving without a spare tire year round? How much would an additional steel rim cost? Think about it. Buying one steel rim would allow you to continue to have a spare tire year round.
Personally, I think today’s winter tires are so good, I don’t see the point in using studded tires. I suggest you get one or two more quotes from other businesses.
Whatever you decide to do, don’t give up your spare tire.
P255/70/R18’s are half inch shorter than P265/75/R17s. That’s nowhere close to being close enough for a 4WD vehicle.
The 4th winter tire, on the steel rim, would be the spare.
When we put the 4 winter tires on, I’d would throw an 18-inch M&S wheel in the back.
But it would be certainly be easier to get another rim and have four winter tires and not have to remove the spare.
What do you like in non studded winter tires?
I haven’t lived in the Great White North since 1985. There are better people to ask.
Other forum members have recommended Michelin Winter X tires. Bridgestone Blizzaks are also quite popular.
Aren’t you afraid of using a different size wheel on an AWD vehicle? Did you read what FoDaddy wrote about it?
I also wouldn’t put different sized wheels on it either, Just because the diameter is the same it doesn’t mean that the tire will behave the same as the 18 inch tires, as the sidewall will be more prone to flexing which could upset the handling of the vehicle.
For most people, who don’t have to drive regardless of the weather, and who don’t have lives at stake, having an “all season” tire as the spare is adequate in the winter. However, that doesn’t apply to you. If I were to do what you do, I would want a 17 inch snow tire as the spare when the 17 inch snow tires are mounted on the vehicle, and I would want an 18 inch “all season” tire as the spare when the 18 inch “all season” tires are mounted on the vehicle. As a former professional driver, I would never take unnecessary risks to save a few bucks. It goes against my nature, and I hope it goes against your nature too.
Steel rims can be had cheaply from junk yards and automotive recycling centers. When I need a steel rim, I buy one from a discount seller called Hubcap Heaven. I can pay $130 for a rim at Goodyear, or I can pay $30 for the same rim at Hubcap Heaven. Don’t be afraid to show up at the tire store with your own pair of 17 inch steel rims from a junk yard.
Do NOT deviate from stock equipment.All your tires should match, including spare.Vehicles today are set up for what comes from the factory. This includes transmission and ABS functions. You have a utilitarian vehicle. The less you mess with it, the less problems you will have.
People don’t understand this basic principle.Changing one simple thing as tires will affect the whole vehicle. You should put the best tires up front .This is for traction and steering in your situation.
“Other forum members have recommended Michelin Winter X tires”
I believe that Whitey is referring to the Michelin X-Ice winter tire.
This is a truly superior winter tire. In addition to giving incredible traction on ice as well as on snow, it has decent handling characteristics, and has much better tread life than almost all of its competitors.
I cannot say for sure if this tire is available in a size that would be appropriate for the Expedition, but a look at the Tire Rack site would provide this information.
What do you like in non studded winter tires?
Isn’t this the same emergency vehicle that you drive over 100mph? Studded tires consistently require longer stopping distances on wet or dry pavement.
The stock wheels are 18-inch alloys and 17-inch steel spare.
Would be nice to trade the F-150 alloy wheels for three steel spare wheels.
(Four would be better so that I would not have to remove the spare, the fourth winter tire, when putting on the winter tires before a blizzard arrives.)
Some SUV owner’s manuals list more than one suitable tire size, and the Expedition is one of them. Even though they are not stock equipment, 17" tires on this vehicle won’t hurt a thing, as long as it is one of these two sizes.
I like the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R studless winter tire. I’m on my second set of Hakkapeliittas and they seem to get better with each generation.
Like everyone said, please don’t try to cut corners by mounting mismatched tires.
[I]Ya drive 115 mph just once and you’re labeled for life![/I]
(Actually on other occasions on vacant, clean, dry, rural highways the Expedition was so smooth and stable that it effortlessly snuck up to 100 because I was searching for road hazards and not looking at the speedometer.)
I would never drive fast on winter tires. I would learn the speed rating.
Hopefully the winter-tired-wheels are taken off before streets are dry enough to allow higher speeds and the 18-inch M&S-tired-alloy wheels back on.
For traffic and questionable road conditions, I coast down in speed and slow such that stopping distances have never been an issue.
There is ONE time I slammed on the brakes - when a car went through a RED signal right in front of me. The emergency lights were on but no siren since my signal was GREEN. (I wondered if the driver were dyslexic?)
Currently you can get two flavors of winters - winter tires, and Studless Snow and Ice tires.
For example, the blizzak WS-60 is a snow+ice tire, while the LM-60 is a winter tire. One is for cold dry pavement performance and snow traction, the other is for outright snow traction with little or no regard for dry performance.
If you need some help picking a tire, i recommend calling the tirerack (http://www.tirerack.com/) and letting them know the score. They should be able to get you the right tires for your application. My guess would be the bridgestone blizzak DM-V1.
See my response to Whitey down below. You’re going to be best served by a “studless snow and ice” tire.
I don’t know anything about SUV/LT tires, but the current reining champs for cars in this category are the blizzak WS-60 and the michelin X-ice XI2. I’ve raced both and both are miles ahead of the competition.
EDIT: I hope this worked, I’m not really understanding the threading in this format…
Typically, snow+ice tires carry either no speed rating or a low one. Winter tires tend to carry a slightly higher speed rating.
I would not do a sustained 100mph+ on aggressive snow tires. Fine for racing, where you have plenty of safety equipment, not so great in a street car. You’d be better off doing it in snow than on dry pavement, though, since the snow mist will serve to carry some heat away from the sidewall and tread.
The spare is a spare and probably is noted as a temporary replacement in an emergency situation only. It is a cost savings and probably space saving decision by the manufacturer.
Yes, I realize that different tire sizes do equate to the almost the same size as another tire , but in this case, I would still not deviate from the manufacturer tire recommendations for road tires.
Studs are pretty pointless when compared with todays multi-compound ice tires, like the blizzak WS models and the michelin X-ice.
Buy your tires from tirerack after calling and speaking with one of their techs. Those guys do a lot more real world testing and know a lot more about whats available than your average kid at the tire shop.
This spare is a regular tire, which I had been hoping to use and not just let rot out with age.
Now we hope to obtain a fourth F-150 alloy wheel to match the three donated wheels. Discount Tire will sell a refurbished one to us for $75.
Leave the spare alone.
Then we hope to mount Hakkapeliittas tires.
In runs to the mountains I recall some horrible situations where I thought, ‘How did I get myself into this mess?’.
We used two shovels to dig snow. (The SUV always carries a shovel (two when mountain snows are possible), kitty litter, six-pack of Ensure, bottled water, blankets and garbage bags for warmth, TP & bottle and butane lighter.)
Good Luck, and carry an extra cell phone and GPS.
[quote=“Wrench”]Good Luck, and carry an extra cell phone and GPS.[/quote]GPS?.. We don’ need no stinkin’ GPS.
(I can read a contour map.)
Where we could use GPS is when in the City in the maze of new urban sprawl
and not sure what the best routes are out.
That is when I call police dispatch for advice.