Ford Explorer tires

The Explorer changed platform for 2020 and the tire sizes changed with it. A 2019 car and a 2020 car with the same trim name take different tires, so the model year matters more here than on most vehicles. The pressure is on a label Ford puts on the B-pillar or the edge of the driver's door.

The sizes Ford fitted

Fifth generation, through 2019:

• P245/60R18 104H on Base and XLT

Sixth generation, from 2020:

• 255/65R18 111H on Base and XLT, and on Active and the 18 inch ST fitment for 2025
• 255/55R20 107H on XLT, Limited and King Ranch, from the 2022 list
• 275/45R21 110W XL on ST, Platinum and Platinum Hybrid, and on the 2025 ST-Line with Street Pack and Platinum with Ultimate Package
• P265/65R18 112T on the Timberline, which uses a taller sidewall than the other 18 inch fitment

One model has this many sizes because wheel diameter moves with trim, and because an SUV sold as both a family car and a performance car needs both a tall tire and a low-profile one. Never order Explorer tires by trim name alone. Check the model year, then the sidewall, as in finding your tire size.

If the wheels have been changed since the car was built, the tires on it now may not be the size the placard names, and the placard pressure stops being a direct answer.

Where the Explorer hides its tire label

Ford's wording is that you will find a Tire Label containing tire inflation pressure by tire size located on the B-pillar or the edge of the driver's door. The B-pillar is the upright post behind the driver's door. Open the door and look at the body of the car rather than at the door edge.

If the door edge shows nothing but an airbag warning, look at the post. Ford, Chevrolet, GMC, Ram, Nissan, Subaru and Tesla all use the pillar on at least some models, while Toyota and Honda stay on the jamb.

Reading it

The label gives the cold pressure for the front axle, the cold pressure for the rear, the original tire size and the spare. Cold means the car has been standing rather than driven, because a tire warms as it rolls and its pressure rises with it.

We publish no PSI figure for the Explorer. Ford's manual prints none, for the same reason it prints none for the F-150: the right pressure depends on which of five fitments the car has, and a number that suits a Timberline on 18 inch tires is not the number for a Platinum on 21 inch extra-load tires. Our tire pressure placard guide shows how far apart the lookup sites get when they guess.

Replacing fewer than four

This one Ford does answer. For a four-wheel-drive Explorer, Ford states that major dissimilar tire sizes between the front and rear can disable or damage the four-wheel-drive system, and that the fix is to replace all four rather than mix worn tires with new ones. Ford gives no numeric tread-depth tolerance, so there is no threshold to measure against. If your Explorer is four-wheel drive and the remaining tires are worn, treat it as a four-tire conversation and ask us before committing to one or two. See how many tires and when to replace tires.

The same logic applies to the spare. Fitting the mini-spare puts the car into rear-wheel-drive-only mode until the road tire goes back on.

What changes on a mobile Explorer fitting

• The spare is a T-type mini-spare in a well under the carpeted load floor at the back. No under-body winch, which is quicker than a truck, but the load floor and any cargo have to come out first.
• Ford classes it as a dissimilar spare: temporary use only, not to be included in a rotation, and not above 50 mph. It is stored at 60 psi. Where a full-size or dissimilar spare is fitted instead, Ford keeps it at the higher of the front and rear figures on the tire label.
• Direct TPMS, with a sensor inside each wheel attached to the valve stem. The telltale gets checked after any wheel or tire change.
• Wheels run 18 to 21 inches on the sixth generation. The 275/45R21 fitment is low profile and extra load, so the XL rating has to be matched and the bead work has to be careful.
• Ford's lug nut torque for the Explorer was not in the pages we could read, so we take it from the manual in your car rather than from memory.

What we do

We supply the tires and fit them where the car is parked, set to the pressure on your own tire label, with the TPMS checked and reset or relearned where supported, and the old tires taken away. Pricing is on our mobile tire replacement page.

Questions people ask

• Where is the tire pressure sticker on an Explorer? On the B-pillar or the edge of the driver's door. Ford names both, so check the post if the door edge is bare.
• My 2020 Explorer will not take my old 2019 tires. Why? Different platform. The 2019 car ran P245/60R18 and the 2020 car moved to 255/65R18, 255/55R20 or 275/45R21.
• Can I replace just two on a 4WD Explorer? Ford says major dissimilar sizes front to rear can damage the four-wheel-drive system and asks for all four rather than mixing worn with new. Ask us before buying two.
• Why is my 4WD light behaving oddly on the spare? The mini-spare forces rear-wheel drive until the proper tire is refitted. It is expected.
• What PSI for the spare? The T-type mini-spare is kept at 60 psi. Your road tires are whatever the label says, which is much lower.