Looking forward to seeing pictures.

 

OH sweet someone finally did it!

http://www.fordescape.org/forum/wheels-tires-brakes-suspension/38761-off-road-tires.html

The vaascar guys put those on. I think they look good. Just want a lift kit :/

Please get pics and keep posting up on the handling

 

yes, pics please!

 

 

Looks nice but I'd never attempt to drive that knowing it'll hit plastic all day long (the way I drive at least).

But thanks for showing how it looks, there's no other way to find out!

 

I like the knobby-ness of the tires. In your second to last picture is that showing rubbing. when you dip your rims could you post another pic to see how it'll look.

 

Yes that picture is showing rubbing but that is at full crank. Rims won't be dipped for awhile. Maybe not until summer or towards the end. Right now the next thing I have lined up is deleting the chrome.

 

ughh ya baby!! Those would look good with the lift kit!

 

Apologies to everyone on the delayed update. I went on a two day getaway with the wife in the Poconos. I was able to take the car out during wet weather and the car and tires handled beautifully on wet pavement. Felt extremely confident with the handling on the twist and turns and cornering with the car. With the Bridgestone Deulers still having a decent amount of tread on the tires the rear end would slide out from under me with slight cornering, however the Toyos have made me regain confidence with the FE again.

The tires do rub however there is only rubbing at full crank. I'm not sure if spacers would fix the issue or not, your input would be greatly appreciated. Because of the tires being heavier and the brakes already are on the worn end, it's taking longer to stop. So now I am looking into replacing the brakes and rotors and thinking of getting slotted/vented rotors. Any input would be appreciated as well.

 

The tires do rub however there is only rubbing at full crank. I'm not sure if spacers would fix the issue or not, your input would be greatly appreciated. Because of the tires being heavier and the brakes already are on the worn end, it's taking longer to stop. So now I am looking into replacing the brakes and rotors and thinking of getting slotted/vented rotors. Any input would be appreciated as well.

spacers wont help. the tires will just swing through a larger arc.
rubbing the liner doesnt hurt. just make sure there is nothing behind it.

heavier tires will hurt braking. slotted/drilled rotors won't help. they just provide stress risers which may contribute to cracking. a qualitly blank rotor is all that is needed. the best bet for an upgrade is a preformance pad, like EBC yellow or Halk HPS.

 

Bumping thread...

Anyone who tried All Terrain tires on 19s?

 

What size tyres are you planning on using in 19"?

I've just got back from a week away and managed to scrape the lip on one of my 19" rims from driving on unsealed tracks. :crying:

I must have hit a rock big enough to flex the tyre's sidewall and the rock touched the rim. It's not like a gutter scrape, there's a fresh impact mark on the tyre's sidewall and only that immediate section on the rim has the paint scraped.

If it was me, I'd go for 17" rims for the higher sidewalls (for rim protection and better ride quality.) You'll also be able to choose from a larger range of A/T tyres.

 

I went with 16 inch rims and 235/70/ fits perfect and no rubbing so far.

 

Ever consider the BFG All Terrain 225/65R17 ? Almost the same overall size as your 16's just a little shorter (.4") and not quite as wide (.1").

 

I use large knobby tires for my 'toy' truck for offroading. What you will do if you try and put larger (or even just knobbier) tiers on the FE is hurt acceleration, turning and braking, more road noise and lower MPG.. Acceleration and Braking will be worse just due to the generally higher weight of AT tires. Steering will be worse due to taller sidewalls being more prone to flex but also somewhat due to the knobby tread not being as grippy on pavement.

 

due to fitment challenges in getting AT tires on the Escape, i don't think anyone casually puts those tires on. They know what they're getting into, and would have a good reason for it to offset the negatives that you state. Reasons like aesthetics, not having the driveway space or $$ for a toy truck, need to haul the family and their gear up some rough roads where a 2 seater truck wont work, etc.

 

If people are putting heavier tires for possibly more challenging driving in rough terrain, should that conversation also include suggestions and recommendations for a stronger skid plate for the undercarriage? The OEM tray would certainly not stand up. Anyone know of aftermarket ones?

 

Pretty sure there is a thread on here about a chinese aftermarket skid plate that is more durable than stock.

 

It is not a skid plate. Even the one from China, that is discussed elsewhere here, is not a skid plate.

 

Wow. Those a quite meaty for the Escape!

 

I've posted this info before on the lift kits thread, but I did not want the data to get lost for those only looking for all terrain tires and not a lift.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As for anyone looking at changing tires and getting some free ground clearance with larger rubber, if you use the tire size calculator suck as https://tiresize.com/calculator/ you can do a comparo. I've literally spend hours on research on this. The Escape comes with 3 tires/wheel sizes and all are basically the same overall diameter.:
P235/55R17 that is 27.2" diameter
P235/50R18 that is 27.3" diameter
P235/45R19 that is 27.3" diameter
The limitation of the newer Escapes compares to the older ones (and nearly all SUV's/CUV's are going down this path) is that there is very little room for upsizing the tires. Everything is "tight" for a more urban appeal. To mod the Escape out would mean heavy panel cutting, plastic reworking, a big headache and probably a bottle of bourbon! It's just not happening. We can only work within the confines of the tight wheelwells and our options are limited, Like any vehicle someone is looking to bump up on tire size, you can do some quick testing by placing your fingers between the tire and wheelwells at their tightest points when turning. Every car is different. That is literally the space you have to work with and the front to rear and size to size can be different, so check them all.

After weeks of research, I replaced my P235/55R17 Continental Contiprocontact tires (terrible in cold climates and dirt roads) with one size larger P235/60R17 Cooper Discoverer AT/3 tires, bumping the stock size of 27.2" diameter to 28.1" (basically 1/2 inch larger on all sides, or the thickness of my finger). The fitment is tight, but no rubbing and no custom-modification of the wheelwells was necessary at a body shop. The only modification I had to make was to remove the rear wheelwell forward-facing mud flaps/air deflectors as the tires would hit them when putting the vehicle back on the ground when getting it off a lift at the shop. Now for comparative purposes, given that one size larger A/T tires do fit on 17" rims, if you stay to the rough outer diameter of 28.1", you should not have (or minimal) rubbing. Here are some numbers that may help others:
P235/60R17 that is 28.1" diameter
P235/55R18 that is 28.2" diameter
P235/50R19 that is 28.3" diameter
Now I have only tried the P235/60R17 tires, so I cannot speak from experience on the fitment of the 18" or 19" tires...but there should not be big surprises upon trying. Start going up beyond the 28" range and you may run into rubbing/damage. P245/70R17 tires would have a 30" diameter. There would certainly be rub in the front wheelwells during turning.

Going up from P235 to P245 or beyond means both a wider tread footprint but also more rubber height off the wheels (both of which give protection to the wheels from rocks on the trail). If you change the P235 #, be extra careful for fitment issues.I think you also find very few AT tires or any tires that would fit.
Going from 55 to 60 (or 50 to 55, or 45 to 50) in the center set of numbers increases rubber height only off the wheel and keeping the P235# does seem to offer more tire offerings for all wheel sizes, which is a plus.

AT tires tend to be taller than passenger tires of equal size too due to deeper grooves and tread. That being the case, any reputable tire installer will test-fit your proposed tire size prior to install to make sure there are no issues. I've included some pics showing the fitment of mine.

A footnote on the P235/60R17 tire size, my speedometer is about 3mph slow at 70mph and less at lower speeds...something to watch when dialing in a speed. In addition, the one size larger tires added 3/4" of ground clearance to the 6" stock ground clearance...and we need every bit of it! I am very impressed with the Cooper tires and they have not hit the top of the wheelwells from bottoming out either (even before I installed the lift kit).

From what I have found, these are some all terrain tires or touring tires will decent grip for the trail or snow that should fit your Escape with no (or minimal rubbing). Prior posts/pics on this thread show even larger tire sizes installed with what appear to be not minor, but heavy rubbing at semi-turn on the steering. Research and choose wisely and don't just take my word for it.

P235/60R17 (roughly 28.1 diameter): Cooper Discoverer AT/3, Cooper Discoverer HTP, BF Goodrich Long Trail Tour T/A, Bridgestone Dueler A/T D693 II, Firestone Destination LE and LE2
P235/55R18 (roughly 28.2" diameter): BF Goodrich Long Trail Tour T/A, Firestone Destination LE2, Toyo Open Country H/T - 362400
P235/50R19 (roughly 28.3" diameter): Firestone Destination LE2

There are literally no AT choices from Dunlap, Goodyear. There may be other random selections out there from Lionhart and a few others...but A/T choices are next to non-existent. The bigger the wheel size, the less the choices and literally the less the protection. I'd say it would be better with 16" wheels and even bigger rubber (wider and taller)...but the front rotors are so large they may not fit without modification. Please do your own research and remember available tire models are always changing. Chose carefully and enjoy taking your vehicle off the beaten path more.

 

#EscapeAZ , I wanted to also put your 18" AT tire fitment experience here as well for people only looking for AT tires.

I upgraded my stock P235/55R17 tires to P235/60R17 and included pictures above. You upgraded from P235/50R18 to P235/55R18. I am glad that someone also got a set of up-sized AT tires to fit on a set of 18" rims as well. I do not have any rub. As you mentioned, yours seems minimal. Keep an eye on front wheelwell liners to make sure there are no rub-throughs. Although I did not need my front wheelwells modified, small modifications may be made by either a body shop or a lift installer (as I looked into that just in case I had to do that). Those General Grabber AT2 tires likely have a higher profile than my Cooper Discoverer AT/3's. Each tire out there is going to fit different than the next and another 18" tire model may never rub. That being said, as your tires wear some, they won't rub anymore either.

Anyone else looking for upsizing their tires or putting in AT tires, lease read the info I provided above. And if anyone has 19" rims and cam 1) find an AT tire to buy and 2) install them, please post here as well. Thanks.

 

#EscapeAZ , I wanted to also put your 18" AT tire fitment experience here as well for people only looking for AT tires.

I upgraded my stock P235/55R17 tires to P235/60R17 and included pictures above. You upgraded from P235/50R18 to P235/55R18. I am glad that someone also got a set of up-sized AT tires to fit on a set of 18" rims as well. I do not have any rub. As you mentioned, yours seems minimal. Keep an eye on front wheelwell liners to make sure there are no rub-throughs. Although I did not need my front wheelwells modified, small modifications may be made by either a body shop or a lift installer (as I looked into that just in case I had to do that). Those General Grabber AT2 tires likely have a higher profile than my Cooper Discoverer AT/3's. Each tire out there is going to fit different than the next and another 18" tire model may never rub. That being said, as your tires wear some, they won't rub anymore either.

Anyone else looking for upsizing their tires or putting in AT tires, lease read the info I provided above. And if anyone has 19" rims and cam 1) find an AT tire to buy and 2) install them, please post here as well. Thanks.

Those are some awesome tires. The tread looks very close to the BFG KO AT's I have on my Frontier.

 

Correction on the last post, #Escape AZ actually installed P255/55R18 tires, a wider variant than the P235/55R17 I stated...also resulting in more tire width and resulting clearance.

 

2017 Escape here - 235/65/17 Atturo X/T Trail Blades - no rubbing & no lift.

 

Is the suspension height the same between '13-16 and the '17?

 

As far as I know, yes it is. I haven't found any differences.

 

It's been a while since I checked Discount Tire Direct...but from what I see, there is literally no AT tire choices at the P245/60R17 size-point, but there is quite a bit of selection at the P245/65R17 size-point. That would be yet another size up, but also offers more rubber "bulge" to protect the rims while driving down the trail.

If anyone tries this size or other sizes, please post back.

 

245/65/17 Will rub bad enough that you will barely be able to turn on flat pavement... Much less with any kind of flex where the wheel is up higher in the fender well.

 

I got a few pictures of my P235/60R17 Cooper Discoverer AT/3 tires in the snow this past weekend that I use on my Escape. I also am showing a picture Mickey Thompson Deegan 38 tires in the snow. Now Mickey Thompson doesn't make Deegan 38's in a size that'll fit an Escape, but they are some of the best AT tires you can buy. Side by side, the tires are both excellent in snow and dirt traction. My Coopers have proven just how good they are both in the dirt and in the snow so far this winter. I know as any tire wears down a bit, the traction goes down in snow and water along with that loss of tread. If you are comfortable having an AT tire on year-round, your chances of handling the snow in the winter are nearly as good as a winter tire. And if you get an aggressive tread, you may have better traction than a basic snow tire. For comparison, I run BF Goodrich Long Trail Terrain tires on my truck. They are much more all-season based than a true AT tire. The traction of those tires is OK, but there is much more sliding and spinning due to the close tread pattern. Like my Coopers, you can get the BF Goodrich Long Trails in a P235/60R17 size that will fit the Escape...but they will not hook up in the snow as good as a Cooper or certain other AT tires others have posted. Pay attention to tread patterns when buying tires and get a set according to how you will use them.

 

No lift. Just All Terrain tires. Thought I'd post a link to my photos and specs from another thread:

http://www.fordescape.org/forum/1059842-post47.html

 

All-Terrain Tire

First off, I work for a small insurance company as an adjuster and I'm discussing a company car. I live in the Black Hills of South Dakota and serve an area that has unforgiving downpours resulting in the dirt road you just drove down and have it turn into a minimum maintenance road, and roads that snow shut in minutes when the wind kicks up out of no where and no cell phone service to call for help. Bosses say "We Don't want you to take chances." in one ear and lecture us on our stuff not getting done in time. Our guys have been urging management to allow us to have pickup like the old days. Other states like KY and TN have Colorado's and CO run Pathfinders.

Finally, I traded in my old work truck, a 2015 Ford Taurus, for a 2018 Ford Escape SE 4WD in October. Laugh, but I was lucky not to get that Taurus stuck once busting through drifts like a Bugs Bunny burrowing for Albuquerque. I did however loose two tires at once driving down a gravel road that fire crews just graded in a grassland fire fighting effort. Just the nature of the business put me there. At least someone listed to the part that guys show up on multi million dollar farm/ranch operations with a car they'll be laughed off the property.

Anyway, guys that were dumb enough to choose the Chevy Impala are quickly looking for the most aggressive tire they can fit on the rims and still turn. Me myself, I'm about worn half the tread off my 18 Escape from the whole 9/32 that Ford deemed worthy enough to put under them. I'm looking for tires bottom line. An aggressive all terrain tire. Thoughts go back to a 98 Ford Explorer Sport 2dr 4x4 that I put a pair of Warrior Leaf Spring Shackles on, turned out the front torsion bars to give me a 2 inch lift overall and shoved a set of Cooper Discoverer STT 34' tires (Basically made by Super Swamper for Cooper back then and were kevlar reinforced) under it on stock rims. She would climb me into places I shouldn't be and could stop on a dime in slick conditions and road noise was not bad at all, from the inside. They also lasted me 100k miles.

So this being a work vehicle the main concern is budget and operations to squeeze an A/T. What A/T tire can I squeeze into stock rim and chassis. I know A/T's are more costly which corporate would freak to see a $1200 tire bill, but I've seen guys get into them pretty cheap on smaller rim sizes. Like I think on those Same set of Coopers I had ran me $1100 and a buddy had the same ones on a jeep standard chassis for half the money due to tire size (Which is the 17 in rim 235/55R17 99H.

 

First off, I work for a small insurance company as an adjuster and I'm discussing a company car. I live in the Black Hills of South Dakota and serve an area that has unforgiving downpours resulting in the dirt road you just drove down and have it turn into a minimum maintenance road, and roads that snow shut in minutes when the wind kicks up out of no where and no cell phone service to call for help. Bosses say "We Don't want you to take chances." in one ear and lecture us on our stuff not getting done in time. Our guys have been urging management to allow us to have pickup like the old days. Other states like KY and TN have Colorado's and CO run Pathfinders.

Finally, I traded in my old work truck, a 2015 Ford Taurus, for a 2018 Ford Escape SE 4WD in October. Laugh, but I was lucky not to get that Taurus stuck once busting through drifts like a Bugs Bunny burrowing for Albuquerque. I did however loose two tires at once driving down a gravel road that fire crews just graded in a grassland fire fighting effort. Just the nature of the business put me there. At least someone listed to the part that guys show up on multi million dollar farm/ranch operations with a car they'll be laughed off the property.

Anyway, guys that were dumb enough to choose the Chevy Impala are quickly looking for the most aggressive tire they can fit on the rims and still turn. Me myself, I'm about worn half the tread off my 18 Escape from the whole 9/32 that Ford deemed worthy enough to put under them. I'm looking for tires bottom line. An aggressive all terrain tire. Thoughts go back to a 98 Ford Explorer Sport 2dr 4x4 that I put a pair of Warrior Leaf Spring Shackles on, turned out the front torsion bars to give me a 2 inch lift overall and shoved a set of Cooper Discoverer STT 34' tires (Basically made by Super Swamper for Cooper back then and were kevlar reinforced) under it on stock rims. She would climb me into places I shouldn't be and could stop on a dime in slick conditions and road noise was not bad at all, from the inside. They also lasted me 100k miles.

So this being a work vehicle the main concern is budget and operations to squeeze an A/T. What A/T tire can I squeeze into stock rim and chassis. I know A/T's are more costly which corporate would freak to see a $1200 tire bill, but I've seen guys get into them pretty cheap on smaller rim sizes. Like I think on those Same set of Coopers I had ran me $1100 and a buddy had the same ones on a jeep standard chassis for half the money due to tire size (Which is the 17 in rim 235/55R17 99H.

You're looking for the setup that I have on my Escape. BFG All Terrain TA KO2's on 17" rims. Those are pretty much the largest and most aggressive tire that you can get on a stock Escape without a lift and without having any tire rub at all; I even downsized my wheels (from the 18" stock wheels to 17" wheels) to be able to fit them.

I discussed them and a link in post #39 of this thread. (Right before your post. Just scroll backwards to see it.)

I also posted another shot in post #127 of this thread: http://www.fordescape.org/forum/wheels-tires-brakes-suspension/36449-wheel-master-thread-13.html

If you wanna talk prices or other specifics, you're welcome to PM me

 

@jmt9779 Do you have a direct link to the tires on a site somewhere? Thanks in advance! I'm looking at upgrading my tires to AT and know from a couple of other threads that Cooper AT has a tire that fits without rub before spacers are added.

 

I got them at TireRack.com. Not sure if I can post a direct link to them but I'll try: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...odel=All-Terrain+T/A+KO2&partnum=265SR7KO2&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

(If the link above doesn't work, it's easily search on Tire Rack's website. BF Goodrich All terrain TA KO2 in 225 65 R17.)

 

I thought 225 is to narrow with that rim. Any problems with leaks or flats?

 

I thought 225 is to narrow with that rim.

Nope. The acceptable wheel width range is 6-8" (see attached tire specs). I'm running an aftermarket wheel that is 8" wide. I believe the stock 17' wheels are 7" wide (or maybe 7.5" at most).

Any problems with leaks or flats?

Nope and nope. I love 'em.