Best tires for the Ford Expedition
Top picks across four categories for the Ford Expedition, anchored to the current-generation OEM size 265/70R18. Every recommendation is selected from our 22,000-tire catalog by ranking on UTQG treadwear, mileage warranty, cabin-noise rating, and season class; no commission-weighted reordering.
Daily driver
Best all-season touring
Long warranty, low noise, balanced ride. The one-tire compromise that works for 80% of owners.
BFGoodrich
All-Terrain T/A KO2
Reinforced sidewall all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.
Michelin
Defender LTX M/S2
UTQG 680 with a 70,000-mile warranty; long-wear all-season compound built for the daily-driver mileage profile typical for Ford Expedition owners.
Kelly
Edge MT
Reinforced sidewall winter compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.
Bridgestone
Alenza A/S 02
Touring-tuned all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.
Lowest cost per mile
Best budget
Best price-per-warranty-mile in this size. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options, not safety.
Michelin
Defender LTX M/S
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
BFGoodrich
Advantage T/A sport LT
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Cooper
Discoverer SRX
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Toyo
Open country H/T II
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Lowest cabin noise
Best quiet
Tread patterns engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning. Pick this if you commute long highway distances daily.
Michelin
Defender LTX M/S2
71 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label; well below the segment median. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.
BFGoodrich
All-Terrain T/A KO2
75 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label; still quieter than most competitors in this size. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.
Cold-weather grip
Best winter
Dedicated winter or all-weather compounds that stay pliable below 7 °C. Necessary for >5 snow days a year.
Side-by-side
Pick the trade-off that matches your driving
| All-season BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 | Best budget Michelin Defender LTX M/S | Best quiet Michelin Defender LTX M/S2 | Best winter Kelly Edge MT |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTQG treadwear | - | 800 | 680 | - |
| Mileage warranty | 50,000 mi | - | 70,000 mi | - |
| Cabin noise | 75 dB | - | 71 dB | - |
| Season class | all-season | - | all-season | winter |
| Type | truck-suv | - | truck-suv | truck-suv |
OEM tire sizes by year
What size does the ford expedition use?
Recommendations on this page are anchored to the latest model-year's OEM size. Confirm yours against the driver-door placard before purchase.
| Year | OEM size | |
|---|---|---|
| 1996–1999 | 255/70R16 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2000–2010 | 265/70R17 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2011–2024 | 275/65R18 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2025–2026 | 275/70R18 | Year-specific fitment → |
How we ranked these tires for the ford expedition
We started with the latest model-year's OEM tire size; 265/70R18; and filtered our catalog of 22,000+ tires to those offered in that exact size. From there, four parallel rankings:
- Best all-season ranks on a weighted score: tire type matches SUV segment, season is "all-season", premium brand bonus (Michelin / Continental / Bridgestone / Pirelli / Goodyear / Nokian).
- Best budget ranks on cost-per-warranty-mile; the lower the better. Premium brands get no bonus here.
- Best quiet ranks on the EU tire-label dB rating; lower is quieter.
- Best winter filters to tires marked 3PMSF severe-snow rated or all-weather class, with a small premium-brand bonus because winter-compound R&D is capital-intensive.
SUV-specific tire models (CrossClimate, CrossContact, Defender LTX) have reinforced sidewalls designed for the chassis mass and often a wider tread for better wet traction at higher curb weight. Use the side-by-side comparison above to weigh the trade-offs against your specific driving; highway-heavy, winter-state, performance-oriented, or budget-constrained.
NHTSA-reported issues for ford expedition
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Most reported: Tires (General) (379) · Tread / Belt (213) · Sidewall (49) · Spare Tire (31) · TPMS (19)
Reported across: 1993 – 2024 (22 years)
What owners described
Tread or belt separation is the most common description, in 20% of these reports. Percentages are shares of the 459 reports covering every model year of the Ford Expedition that include a written account; a single report can describe more than one problem, so they do not total 100%.
| Reported problem | This subject | All tire complaints | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread or belt separation | 20% | 13% | 1.5× |
| Blowout or sudden deflation | 20% | 20% | 1.0× |
| Sidewall failure | 17% | 15% | 1.1× |
| Cracking or dry rot | 11% | 9% | 1.2× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 10% | 8% | 1.2× |
| Bubble or bulge in the tire | 4% | 6% | 0.6× |
Mileage at failure
133 of these reports state an odometer reading. The middle report is at 25,000 miles, with 8 in 10 falling between 3,000 and 89,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Ford Expedition. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
WHILE TRAVELING S/B AT APPROX 70 MPH ON I5 IN ORANGE COUNTY CA, RR TIRE OF 97 FORD EXPEDITION SUFFERED 360 DEGREE TREAD SEPARATION. LOSS OF CONTROL, ROLL. FRONT PASSENGER DIED. DRIVER LOST THREE FINGERS. DEFINITY DAKOTA H/T, DOT UPCU PA7 1508 (COOPER, FINDLEY PLANT). DOA 9/5/13.
BOUGHT TRUCK USED,WITH PIRELLI SCORPION TIRES. THEY CRACKED 360 DEGREES, 1 INCH FROM THE RIM, INSIDE SURFACE, ON ALL 4 TIRES! THIS WAS NOTED ON A OIL CHANGE.. DEALER AGREED TO CHANGE ALL TIRES. *JS THESE TIRES (NEW) AFTER A SHORT TIME, FAILED IN A SIMILAR MANNER, AGAIN ALL 4 TIRES.
CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO TIRE DEFECT ISSUES PURCHASED AT A RETAIL STORE. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED HE BELIEVED HE PURCHASED UNSAFE TIRES FROM A LOCAL RETAILER. A TECHNICIAN INFORMED HIM, THE TIRES WERE SHOWING SIGNS OF PREMATURE WEAR.
THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD EXPEDITION EQUIPPED WITH MICHELIN LATITUDE TOUR, SIZE: P265/60/R18 (NA). THE CONTACT STATED THAT ALL FOUR TIRES DISPLAYED PERFORATIONS IN THE SIDEWALL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THERE WERE PERFORATIONS ON THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRES AND, AS A RESULT, THE TIRES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE TIRES WERE NOT REPLACED. THE DOT NUMBER WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13T006000 (TIRES). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE DOT NUMBER AND VIN WERE UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000 AND THE TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000.
Complaints are voluntarily submitted to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation and are not verified by NHTSA; they represent owner-reported problems, not proven defects. Counts can be useful as a relative quality signal across comparable tires or vehicles.
Tire recalls & safety complaints for the Ford Expedition →
FAQ
What's the best all-season tire for the Ford Expedition?
Should I get a cheaper tire for my Ford Expedition?
Does the Ford Expedition need winter tires?
Can I run a different tire size on my Ford Expedition?
Where can I buy these tires?
Last verified 2026-09-02.